The many faces of autism

Ben Petzoldt, 7, of Fruitland

Ben, who loves to hug and be hugged, is one of very few children in Southeast Missouri going through applied behavioral analysis, or ABA. A handful of Skittles urged Ben one day finally to make the long "O" sound on command. The very next day, he could repeat the sounds of the alphabet. Ben has made big strides in the last year-plus, learning to talk in short phrases and respond to social reinforcement like clapping. Part of his ABA includes social activities like going to Dairy Queen, music and horse therapy and Kids Bee Fit, an exercise program. Roger and Dena were forced to put door locks high on the door after Ben found out how to unlock them. At least twice, Ben wandered outside alone for several minutes before Roger and Dena knew he was gone.

Ella Farrow, 23, of Neelys Landing

Ella is an exuberant young lady with a vast vocabulary. She likes reading and learning about languages, including French. She took college courses for a year but stopped because she didn't like the walking and because she was afraid the university might cut her major. Ella taught herself to read as a child, but she didn't talk from age 2 to 7. By the time she reached high school, she was almost entirely mainstreamed.

Taylor Crowe, 22, formerly of Cape Girardeau

About the time he started showing autistic symptoms, Taylor told his father that his "mouth just won't say the words." Now Taylor is living in California with friends, chasing his dream of becoming an animator. An articulate speaker, Taylor uses his inspiring story to tell others about autism. He frequently speaks on the issue in public forums across the country. While art is his favorite topic, Taylor also enjoys playing the piano.

Alexis Noack, 7, of Jackson

In addition to being diagnosed with pervasive development disorder -- not otherwise specified, Alexis also has hypotonic static encephalopathy. This means she has brain delay and low muscle tone. Doctors say the second diagnosis is not related to autism. In addition to her 60 minutes of physical therapy, 60 minutes of occupational therapy and 120 minutes of speech therapy every week, Alexis is involved in music and horse therapy. She becomes overwhelmed in crowded and loud places. She does not talk but seemed to hum two weeks ago at her first music therapy session. Alexis' parents, Bryan and Jamie, would love to hear a voice to go with their daughter's beautiful smile.

Amanda Scholl, 7, of rural Jackson

Amanda, who has short, blond hair and dimples, is very observant. She'll notice that the figurines atop the armoire have been moved around. She likes to look at herself in the mirror and act out movie scenes. Her favorite movie is "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." Amanda, who is fixated on playing with twigs and twisty ties, has made great strides even since Christmas. Just a few years ago she couldn't say much more than "Caticka-ticka-ticka." Now she is writing well.

Derrick Liddell, 15, of Cape Girardeau

Derrick is a freshman at Central High School and loves video games and music. He hopes eventually to get his driver's license, a job and his own apartment. Derrick loves people. He likes giving and receiving hugs and often repeats sentences from movies and past conversations.

THE MANY FACES OF AUTISM

Ethan Collier, 4, formerly of Charleston, Mo.

Ethan inspired his grandfather, Mike Sciortino, to begin an autism support group in Southeast Missouri after Sciortino's daughter moved to Maine to get the services she couldn't get here. Until about 14 months of age, he could do the itsy-bitsy spider song, stack rings and sit for an hour while his parents read to him. But Ethan regressed quickly. He stopped talking and making eye contact. He began to stare off, then began screaming and banging his head. He completely withdrew from his family. Ethan also has been diagnosed with epilepsy, which affects his memory, cognition and language, so learning is very difficult. Under the applied behavior analysis program, he has begun to understand praise, but he is still very low functional.

Nicholas Clark, 7, of Parma, Mo.

Nicholas loves splashing in his backyard pool and helping out on his parent's rural Southeast Missouri farm. He attends a parochial school in Jackson where his mom, Melinda, uses applied behavior analysis to help him learn. Nicholas was a typically developing child until age 2, when his parents began noticing communication problems. At age 3, he was diagnosed with autism. His parents believe the disorder was brought on by the mercury in vaccines. Nicholas enjoys trips to Six Flags and the St. Louis Zoo. Unlike many autistic children, he loves attention and is quite the ham around cameras. He receives therapy seven days a week, including around 30 hours of applied behavior analysis.

Kyle Schwarz, 5, of Jackson

Kyle, a mainstreamed kindergartner at South Elementary, just recently was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with a mild form of Asperger's, one of autism's spectrum disorders. Kyle, who was born in Arizona, developed normally as an infant, then developed quirky behaviors, including the ability to hear things most people can't hear. Kyle has his good days and bad days in kindergarten. He struggles because he can't concentrate or sit still. Kyle's mom, Beth, says she suspects that mercury in vaccines may have played a part but is having trouble obtaining specific shot records from Kyle's Arizona doctor. Kyle had 16 inoculations in his first 14 months of life.

Jedediah Cook, 8, of Patton, Mo.

Jedediah's vocabulary is up to about 50 words now. He's learning action words and prepositions. Jedediah also has been diagnosed with apaxia, a neurological disorder which limits his ability to communicate. Jedediah might not be able to talk, but he does have a sense of humor. He likes to tease his mom. "He's goofy but in a good way," his mother, Carla Statler, said. "He'll do things just to aggravate, and he knows he's doing it." Unlike many autistic children, Jedediah makes good eye contact and likes to give out hugs. Jedediah has a severe sensory integration dysfunction, meaning he yearns visual stimulation. He often waves his hands in front of his face or stomps to fulfill that need.

-- Southeast Missourian