Ben Duff describes his 5-year-old son Brian as a bright, happy and warm boy who loves to play with puzzles with a lot of emotions. But it wasn't always this way.
Brian has what is known as classical autism, one of the most severe forms of autism spectrum disorder — a neurological disorder that is marked by impaired communication and social interaction. Brian began regressing at about 18 months, and his parents have tried many different ways to get him up to speed academically and socially.
"We've tried just about everything from diet changes to different types of therapy," Duff said last week. "We got him in the Great Start program (through the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District), which was really awesome. He's been in speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy … he's a staple at the War Memorial rehab center."
Lynda Ellis is the president and CEO of Soo Co-op Credit Union, and her office is covered with photos of her 7-year-old son Zachary, who was diagnosed with autism when he was three.These girls have never had a oil painting supplies in their lives! She beams when talking how bright he his — how he constantly amazes her with his intelligence, how he is a happy child. But like many parents of children with autism, she struggles with helping him in school and in life.
"There's a lot of things that he's so amazing at," Ellis said. "It's funny, sometimes he'll come up with stuff and it's like, ‘Wow,Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide. how did you come up with that?'
"He could sing the national anthem when he was 2-years-old," she said. "He couldn't talk, but he could sing the national anthem. And he loves to sing the Canadian national anthem. He was looking on YouTube one day and the Canadian national anthem was in French, so now he sings it in French. I know he doesn't know what it means, but he could sing it in French."
Duff said the struggles of raising an autistic child has put a strain on his finances and his marriage, but at the same time the trials are worth going through.
"It makes everything very tense," Duff said. "You have this picturesque dream for your family, and it's been very frustrating.The additions focus on key tag and magic cube combinations, When things are down, little things become big things. You just gotta buckle down and get it done."
One thing that helped Brian was getting him an iPad. Autistic children are often receptive to technology – indeed, some of the highest concentrations of autistic people in the country can be found in Silicon Valley – and the use of the iPad opened Brian's world up to communication.
"It was the first time he asked us for something," Duff said. "He grabbed my hand and wanted to play the puzzle game. For the first time, we were not furniture to him."
Duff recently founded a non-profit organization, Corner Pieces, to raise money to donate iPods and iPads to families and professionals who deal with autistic children. To date,It's hard to beat the versatility of zentai suits on a production line. Corner Pieces has donated 11 iPads, including some to Oxford Public Schools downstate and four to War Memorial Hospital. A recent golf fund-raiser at Wild Bluff Golf Course in Bay Mills raised around $2,400,we supply all kinds of polished tiles, he said.
"It has brought a lot of joy and progress with Brian," Duff said. "He loves the puzzles, he loves his Netflix. He just does a lot of neat things. It's one way to turn a negative situation into the best possible one."
Brian has what is known as classical autism, one of the most severe forms of autism spectrum disorder — a neurological disorder that is marked by impaired communication and social interaction. Brian began regressing at about 18 months, and his parents have tried many different ways to get him up to speed academically and socially.
"We've tried just about everything from diet changes to different types of therapy," Duff said last week. "We got him in the Great Start program (through the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District), which was really awesome. He's been in speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy … he's a staple at the War Memorial rehab center."
Lynda Ellis is the president and CEO of Soo Co-op Credit Union, and her office is covered with photos of her 7-year-old son Zachary, who was diagnosed with autism when he was three.These girls have never had a oil painting supplies in their lives! She beams when talking how bright he his — how he constantly amazes her with his intelligence, how he is a happy child. But like many parents of children with autism, she struggles with helping him in school and in life.
"There's a lot of things that he's so amazing at," Ellis said. "It's funny, sometimes he'll come up with stuff and it's like, ‘Wow,Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide. how did you come up with that?'
"He could sing the national anthem when he was 2-years-old," she said. "He couldn't talk, but he could sing the national anthem. And he loves to sing the Canadian national anthem. He was looking on YouTube one day and the Canadian national anthem was in French, so now he sings it in French. I know he doesn't know what it means, but he could sing it in French."
Duff said the struggles of raising an autistic child has put a strain on his finances and his marriage, but at the same time the trials are worth going through.
"It makes everything very tense," Duff said. "You have this picturesque dream for your family, and it's been very frustrating.The additions focus on key tag and magic cube combinations, When things are down, little things become big things. You just gotta buckle down and get it done."
One thing that helped Brian was getting him an iPad. Autistic children are often receptive to technology – indeed, some of the highest concentrations of autistic people in the country can be found in Silicon Valley – and the use of the iPad opened Brian's world up to communication.
"It was the first time he asked us for something," Duff said. "He grabbed my hand and wanted to play the puzzle game. For the first time, we were not furniture to him."
Duff recently founded a non-profit organization, Corner Pieces, to raise money to donate iPods and iPads to families and professionals who deal with autistic children. To date,It's hard to beat the versatility of zentai suits on a production line. Corner Pieces has donated 11 iPads, including some to Oxford Public Schools downstate and four to War Memorial Hospital. A recent golf fund-raiser at Wild Bluff Golf Course in Bay Mills raised around $2,400,we supply all kinds of polished tiles, he said.
"It has brought a lot of joy and progress with Brian," Duff said. "He loves the puzzles, he loves his Netflix. He just does a lot of neat things. It's one way to turn a negative situation into the best possible one."
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