Front row from left to right: Angelia Jones, Will Jones, and Mike Jones
Back row: Angelia's son, Andrew Harper
Marla Ballard, Reporter
According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 44 children in the United States today. Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. Five common signs of autism are; avoiding eye contact, delayed speech, reliance on routine, upset by minor changes, and anxious reactions to sounds, tastes, sights, touch, and smells. ASD is a lifelong condition and there is no known cure. Currently, there is no evidence of the cause of ASD.
Mike and Angelia Jones are the parents of an autistic child. The Jones’ son was born six weeks premature, but at the time the infant appeared to be well with the exception of being under five pounds. “Over time we knew something wasn’t right when he wasn’t achieving the normal functions at the right times, such as crawling and walking.” Their son Will is now age 13. “Some people say vaccines are responsible for ASD, but Will had not been vaccinated yet when he began exhibiting symptoms,” said Angelia.
Will is considered high-functioning, because he walks, speaks, and can do some things for himself. “Strangers might not understand all of his communication, but those familiar with him do,” said Angelia. Will commonly parrots or mimics what others say. If someone says, “Hello, Will,” he has responded, “Hello, Will.” When asking for something for himself, like a glass of water, he might say, “Would you like a glass of water?” When he waves at people, he will position his hand in reverse to mirror how he sees the other person waving at him.
Angelia said the best way to calm Will when he becomes overly excited is to distract him with a book. “It doesn’t have to be any particular book, it can be the telephone book,” said Angelia. She said she feels fortunate that Will sleeps through the night. During the day Will stays very active, commonly pacing back and forth.
Will attends mainstream school and also takes speech, occupational, and physical therapies. “I don’t believe he will ever be able to hold a job, because he is unable to recognize the difference between a nickel and a dime,” said Angelia. “One thing people should know about autism is that it affects everyone differently. There is a saying – ‘If you’ve met one child with autism, you’ve met one child with autism.’”
Angelia said the hardest part is the isolation because they receive very few invitations for social gatherings. Another hurdle that worries the family is that since ASD does not generally shorten the life span, they are researching what to do for Will should he outlive them. The best advice Angelia gives to families whose child is diagnosed with ASD is to take it one day at a time.
