Through Charlie's eyes

In 2005, The Ambassador is bringing you the story of a young man and his family whose journey to Anne Carlsen Center for Children wasn't easy. They share with readers the story of their struggles and triumphs as they searched for services that would best help Charlie break out of a shell resulting from autism.

When Charlie was young, he made little or no eye contact with family, which includes his older brother Hugh. Now, he makes eye contact and shares in the joy of life around him. One of his greatest enjoyments is spending time with his family.

It didn’t take long for Connie Kennedy to realize that staff working with her son at Anne Carlsen Center for Children really knew him.

It was Mother’s Day, just months after he moved to the Center, when she received a special book of Charlie looking out various windows throughout the Center.

Connie thought to herself, “They know our boy. That’s our Charlie.” The book reflected one of Charlie’s favorite activities…looking out windows, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face.

And in his three and one-half years at ACCC, the Charlie that has emerged from behind a veil of autism is a person with an enjoyable sense of humor, a young man who likes to make his family proud by showing them all he can do, and one who is maturing into a sociable person.

Helping him get to this point hasn’t been easy, though.

A missing link

Children with autism have difficulty communicating. They face sensory impairments that affect their social behavior and ability to focus on activities. They often compensate for their sensory and communication deficiencies with what are generally described as behaviors.

Charlie’s behaviors have included things like flapping his hands, pushing his tongue out of his mouth frequently, screaming for no apparent reason, and banging his head on hard surfaces, including cement floors.

“When Charlie first came, I knew what his family had been through,” said his speech therapist, Rachel Coppin. “I didn’t know if we could get it all under control for learning to occur.”

But they have. With techniques reinforced by his entire staff of teachers, therapists and support professionals, Charlie can now better control his behaviors to focus on learning.

He has gone from knowing only a couple of basic sign language words when he first arrived to putting together phrases using picture and symbol cards. These cards are how Charlie can let people know he is hungry, tired, or wants to read a book.

Connie says that when Charlie was at home, he was in constant motion. He can now sit calmly in a group and focus on the activity at hand, whether it’s current events in school or eating at the dinner table.

Because of the comprehensive approach to Charlie’s program, he is learning to be independent. His classroom teacher, Becky Simmons, says Charlie is now able to do things independently within the structure and organization of his day.

“We use pictures to tell Charlie what his day will be like,” Simmons said. And within a routine schedule, Charlie is given the opportunity to make some choices. “He can’t choose whether or not he wants to work, but he can choose what kind of work he wants to do.”

Charlie is able to get things he wants or needs as long as his staff is conscious about putting everything in the exact same place.

High expectations

Charlie works each week with his speech therapist, Rachel Coppin, on communication skills using picture and symbol cards to indicate his choice and express his wants and needs.

Coppin says that she learned early on in her work with Charlie that he will rise to the challenge set before him. “Charlie will live up or down to your expectations,” she said. “We expect a lot out of him. And the longer he’s here, the more he shows us.”

“If my own kids have to do something, these kids should have to also,” said Simmons of Charlie and his classmates. “Just because they have a disability isn’t a reason (not to do something).

“Charlie has met a lot of my hopes,” she said.

Coppin and Simmons recognize Charlie’s desire to please his family. He lights up when Connie walks into the room with a smile and a hug for her “Cha-Cha”

“He wants to make her proud,” Coppin said. “I think we’ve shown Charlie’s family a glimpse of the real Charlie.”

He’s a young man who is the first to laugh when a joke is told. Once a boy who made little or no eye contact with people (a common characteristic of autism), his dad proudly tells people how Charlie’s eyes now sparkle when he sees his family and friends.

He is now able to be part of a group, says his mom. “That is his central skill. To be part of a group and not the fireworks in the middle of the picture.”

It’s the complete team of support that the Kennedys credit for Charlie’s progress. “I feel incredibly fortunate and I think he is a lucky boy to have such comprehensive care,” Connie said.

“To reach out and find that much strength in the community at the Anne Carlsen Center has really transported me and changed me forever,” said Connie.

“I have nothing but gratitude for the Anne Carlsen Center,” said Charlie’s dad, Tim. “Without it I don’t think our family would have made it. We wouldn’t be here at this time.”

The support of donors, he says, is what has contributed to the high level of care the Center is able to provide Charlie.

“Those donations help someone who couldn’t really help himself and a family that was in too deep to really effectively focus on themselves. I’m just glad we were able to reach out and that we found the Anne Carlsen school. Thank God for the Anne Carlsen school.”