Sunday, March 18, 2001
The center has a lot to offer children and parents dealing with autism.
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Dylan Osborn did not speak and did not relate to other children when he came to the Rich Center for the Study and Treatment of Autism two years ago.
Now, the 8-year-old New Waterford child is using words and is more outgoing. His mother, Brigitte, credits the center for much of Dylan's progress.
"He gets a lot of one-on-one attention. He also knows all the other kids [in the center's program] are like him, and he feels more comfortable," she said.
Stacy Madison's autistic son, Jesse, 6, likes the program's structure and the individual attention he gets. Jesse still doesn't speak, but now makes more eye contact and responds to certain voice commands. Madison also said the program has helped him as a parent.
"We've learned alternative forms of communication at the Rich Center," he said.
Madison praised the center for having "good collaboration between parents and teachers" and for gearing programs toward each child's needs.
Sharing stories: These were a few success stories shared at last week's parent support group meeting at the center's new home in Fedor Hall on the Youngstown State University campus.
One of the group's speakers was Jain Savage of YSU's Counseling Center. She discussed free services to help parents deal with their frustration, anger and guilt.
The nonprofit center was established in 1995 in memory of Paula and Anthony Rich and their unborn baby, Poland residents who were killed Sept. 8, 1994, in the US Airways crash near Pittsburgh.
The center won a national award in 1998 for its work with autistic children. It serves as a resource center for parents.
The program also "offers as many avenues as possible for graduates and undergraduates to take coursework to work hands-on with the kids," according to its director, Georgia Backus.
About the disorder: Autism is a neurological disorder that affects brain function and often interferes with a person's ability to communicate, understand and interpret language and socialize with others.
Backus said starting next month, a brochure for parents and other professionals will be available. It will list places for families to get help after a child is diagnosed with the disorder.
"We want parents to see they are not alone," Backus explained.
She said the center added another room for high-functioning autistic children, as well as those with Asperger's Syndrome, a disorder similar to autism.
Backus also mentioned the importance of being flexible when working in the autism field.
"We want students to see differences in autistic children," she said, "and to apply appropriate methods to each child."