'Amazing kids': Local people turn out to support autistic children

Ten local children were recognized on posters for the seventh annual Autism Society 5K Run/Walk, which brought hundreds of people to the Morgan City Junior High football field Saturday morning.
Some of the children had teams named for them, the members of which could be recognized by their brightly colored T-shirts. One team’s shirts mentioned three: “1-68 children are diagnosed with autism daily! We’re blessed with 3.”
The three are Cameron Aucoin, 8, Royce Fryou, 5, and Eva Aucoin, 3. They’ve been diagnosed with what is now being called autism spectrum disorder.
They have something else in common: committed grandparents.
“They’re not mentally challenged,” said Joy Jarvis, the grandmother to all three. “They’re not to be shunned.
“If you have questions, we’re happy to give answers. But don’t stare at us or make fun of our children because they’re different. They’re not contagious. They’re just different.”
“They’re very smart in their own way,” said Rae Ann Fryou, Royce’s grandmother.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines autism as “a range of complete neurodevelopment disorders characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior.”
Autistic people may have the condition in a relatively mild form, called Asperger syndrome, or they may fit somewhere in a spectrum of increasing severity. In the United States, the frequency is believed to be about one autistic child in each 110. Boys are four times more likely to be autistic than girls.
The institute says the cause of autism isn’t known. It may be some combination of genetic or environmental factors. Mainstream science has rejected one widespread theory that linked autism to childhood vaccinations.
Whatever the cause, young Cameron’s condition showed up in a way familiar to parents of autistic children.
“It started actually with one of the most classic symptoms: no eye contact,” Jarvis said. “You could be speaking to him directly as a baby, and he would look over your shoulder.”
“When he was 4 years old, my grandson [Royce] didn’t talk,” Fryou said. “He just stopped talking.”
By definition, the symptoms of autism can’t be explained by an intellectual deficit. In fact, the grandmothers say, Royce and Cameron showed talent for some subjects.
“Royce doesn’t talk very much to us, but he started reading at 3 years,” Jarvis said.
“You can show him anything, and he will sound it out and read it to you,” Fryou said.
“He started typing on [his mother’s] phone — in the little note area? He would type things out and if he spelled it wrong, he’d delete it and do it again until he spelled it right. … Cameron, as young as he is, is a whiz at math. But he struggles with reading.”
The boys’ educational needs are different, too.
Eva is in a special pre-K class.
Cameron can function in a regular classroom supplemented by time with special techniques for autistic children. Royce requires additional attention, which he gets through Applied Behavior Analysis therapy, or ABA.
ABA uses a reward system to teach communication and social skills.
Therapists also help parents with tasks including potty-training that can be especially difficult with autistic children.
ABA therapy works one on one and requires hours every day. The About Health website says the time and expense involved, plus the fear that the reward system encourages robotic behavior, makes ABA controversial.
But it’s not controversial to the grandmothers.
“ABA is wonderful,” Fryou said. “They’re there 8 hours a day.”
One more thing: Don’t use the “R” word — retardation.
“Their brains are different,” Jarvis said, “and in most cases, function on a higher level than ours does. They’re amazing kids.”

This story was written by Bill Decker of The Daily Review staff. Reach him at bdecker@daily-review.com