Autistic youngsters help create blankets for Rescue Mission

By Sean Barron

The blankets’ designs are meant to stress the uniqueness of each child with autism, a teacher said.

YOUNGSTOWN — Michael McBriar, Nick Trinckes and Gretta Brundage may be on the autism spectrum, but it would be a mistake to assume they lack the capacity or desire to give back to their community.

That was evident when Michael and Nick, both 15, and 11-year-old Gretta busily worked to tie and pull together a few loose ends on colorful blankets.

The three attend a summer program twice a week at the Paula and Anthony Rich Center for Autism on the Youngstown State University campus and were among those in the program who put their artistic skills to work earlier this week as part of a Kids Who Care Fleece-Tie Blanket program.

Most of the estimated 48 youngsters at the center, who are between ages 3 and 17, will work on the quilts throughout the summer session, which ends July 30. The 80 blankets will be donated in late September or early October to children staying at the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

“I want to make the homeless feel more at home and warmer,” said Gretta, explaining what she hoped to accomplish by participating in the effort.

All three youngsters added that they want to help those who are homeless and less fortunate.

Autism is a developmental disorder generally characterized by developmental, speech, social and language delays, or any combination; those on the autism spectrum — which ranges from severe to mild — often have difficulty with eye contact as well as reaching out to and empathizing with others, most experts say.

Roughly one in 150 births results in a diagnosis, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Besides helping the children improve their fine-motor skills, the blanket project gives them plenty of opportunities to interact with one another, work together and practice their social skills, noted Jill Holod-Dunbar, the Rich Center’s art teacher.

Holod-Dunbar, who’s taught three years at the facility, said she selected the material and cut it into three sizes, one each for toddlers, infants and older children at the mission.

Parents of the youngsters at the Rich Center cut the fringes, and the pupils tied them, she said, adding that the blankets also were designed with safety as a top priority.

The blankets have colorful, interlocked puzzle pieces that symbolize the uniqueness of each child with autism, as well as the importance of seeing the whole person, she explained.

Michele Grant, the center’s resource development coordinator, said she and Holod-Dunbar brainstormed for unusual art ideas, as well as ways to remove barriers and make modifications to enhance the youngsters’ chances for success. A few months later, the nontraditional idea came to fruition, she recalled.

“It’s something the kids can do at various levels,” Grant said.

J. Georgia Backus, the Rich Center’s director, gave high marks to the fleece-tie blanket project for being a creative avenue to bring youngsters and adults together. She also voiced praise for the Rescue Mission.

“We’re delighted that our students, staff and parents have an opportunity to collaboratively take part in this unique creative endeavor,” Backus said. “The Rich Center for Autism is equally excited about partnering with the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley. This project is our way of saying, ‘Thank you for the tremendous service you provide for our community.’”

The center also has the Adolescent and Family Transition program, a yearlong effort funded by the Marion G. Resch Foundation. It combines the summer program that focuses on social skills intervention and family-centered discussion groups with monthly community-based social skills groups for pupils and their parents.

A primary long-term goal is to successfully transition adolescents with autism through school and life after graduation, Grant noted.