She Inspires in every issue
Story by Ashley Elvington • Photographed by Erin Grinstead
Large
or those of us blessed with the beautiful gift of a mother, we know that there’s
nothing quite like a mother’s intuition. We may not always wish to admit it, but
Mom really does know best, especially when it concerns her children. When
her oldest son was diagnosed with ADHD at age four, Becky Large felt certain
that something else was going on with her child. He was exhibiting extreme
oppositional defiance and social awkwardness, and he seemed to have no
sense of personal space. Furthermore, he did not make eye contact with anyone and was
rather loud. Even cartoons with viewer participation excerpts brought no responses from
him. “He was extremely self-centered. I called it the ‘black hole of self,’ ” remembers Becky.
Determined to find answers, Becky continued to seek medical assistance for her son. “I wanted to get him an IEP (independent education plan) for the services/therapies he needed and
could obtain at school. We had to have a diagnosis in order to do that.” At age seven, he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, known today as High-Functioning Autism (HFA). “Hearing
his diagnosis was bittersweet for certain. We were relieved as we could begin to get supports
and therapies to set him up for lifelong success, but there is definitely a mourning process. You
are continually reminded of the challenges your child faces every day as well as how difficult
things are for him and how these challenges could impact him for the rest of his life. I am always planning three to five years ahead (and beyond). Sometimes I get upset knowing what he
may face, but I have to focus on what I can do now to help him better succeed later.”
While it’s documented that signs and symptoms of HFA aren’t quite as severe as other
forms of autism, there are many challenges that present themselves upon diagnosis. Now
that Becky knew what was going on, she could adequately get her son the help he needed. “With the diagnosis, he was able to get social and pragmatic speech therapies, and as
he progresses in his schooling, he gets added supports to help him with his executive level
functioning deficits. We’ve identified his challenges in large projects, like research papers,
where there are many components that require organization. The supports at school have
been invaluable.” Some days are better than others, but Becky reminds herself daily that her
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son’s behavior is due to a communication deficit. “I find myself trying to determine what the
impetus for his behavior was in order to circumvent next time or to have a teachable moment.
I’m constantly analyzing every detail. The problem is, often times, there just isn’t a common
thread or something identifiable. It could be as big as being bullied at school or as little as
a tag bothering him in his shirt that could set him off. You have to learn to try to identify the
issue, help if possible, and then, truly, give the rest up to God.”
In March 2012, Becky and family left their home in Riverton, New Jersey, and moved to Surfside Beach, South Carolina. Unfortunately, upon arrival, Becky was heartbroken to discover
that the amount of austim-friendly services offered were few and far between. That fall, she
attended the Lowcountry Autism Forum in Charleston and was surprised by the number of
companies, support systems, and programs available in that area for children with autism.
That day would be the catalyst for change in Becky’s life. “It was there that I met Tripp Ritchie,
the Executive Director for the Lowcountry Autism Foundation (LAF) at the time, and I told him
my observances of the disparity in services between Charleston and the Grand Strand. Tripp
invited me to partner with LAF and create a parent group in my area. I knew there was a tremendous need, and I had an opportunity to make a difference to families who really needed
support.” On that day, Champion Autism Network (CAN) was born.
Once she returned to Surfside, Becky set her plans into action. “I created the CAN Facebook
page and reached out to as many autism organizations in the Grand Strand as possible to
promote the group.” The first challenge she faced was attendance for the parent group meetings. Due to little or no childcare for the children during the meeting, there was a low turnout; however, Becky understood why and quickly found a solution. “Autism is relentless and
unpredictable. It is, basically, impossible to plan anything. I knew this was a primary reason
for the low turnout for the parent group meetings. Everyone wanted to be there - They just
couldn’t come to the meetings due to some autism-related issue or circumstance. It was then
that I knew I had to do something to get these people out of the house, and it had to include
the whole family.”
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