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Patience pays dividends Photo by Bob Pennell Franklin Henry, 3, makes a game out of learning words from picture cards with his mother, Karen Henry. Parents of autistic children are learning through the "OWLing method" how to help their children. OWL stands for observe, wait, listen, and it helps parents learn to use patience. Autistic kids find a voice By KELLY STEWART Every morning, Kyle would take his mother by the hand, lead her to the kitchen and point to what he wanted for breakfast. She'd make it for him. Facts about autism Autism is four times more common in boys than in girls. Autism is more common in Oregon -- 27 cases per 10,000 -- than in the United States -- about 10 cases per 10,000. The number of cases of autism is on the rise. Autism is a spectrum disorder ranging from severe to mild. It is different for each individual. Autism can co-exist with other conditions. About 50 percent of people with autism also have mental retardation. There is no known cause of autism and no specific "cure." Typical symptoms include abnormal responses to sensations; disturbances in speech, language and nonverbal communication; abnormal ways of relating to people, objects and events; and inconsistencies in learning. -- Source: Asante Health System At the age of 3, Kyle didn't speak. Then Kyle was diagnosed with verbal dyspraxia -- his brain was working, but his mouth couldn't form words to express his thoughts. Kyle's mother, Karie Dahms, heard about the Hanen Early Language program while Kyle was involved in a toddler class through Asante Health Systems in Medford. In the Hanen classes, Dahms learned that Kyle probably felt he didn't need to speak -- since she did it all for him. The next time Kyle led her by the hand to the kitchen and pointed, Dahms just stood there. Kyle grew frustrated; she waited some more. Then two words popped out of Kyle's mouth: "con lakes." He pointed to a cereal box of corn flakes. "To a mom who thought her kid was never going to talk, that was the greatest `Wow!,"' Dahms said. After going through the Hanen program, Kyle is no longer solemn. He bounds around the house, grinning. He's enthusiastic about helping his mother in her garden. "Six months ago, he was a child without words," Dahms said. "This morning, he told me my flowers were beautiful. My heart did a somersault. He sees the beauty, and he can express it." The Hanen program, the first of its kind in Jackson County, teaches parents to help children with language difficulties or autism to speak. Only one speech therapist -- Nancy Levos of Child Development Services -- is authorized to teach Hanen in Jackson County, but two more therapists will be certified for the Asante program in September. Levos said the Hanen program works best in conjunction with other programs, including preschool classes and individualized speech therapy. Currently, CDS is treating 22 autistic children. Barbara Kozol, director of CDS, said 22 autistic children is a conservative figure because autism has not yet been identified in some children being treated. About two-thirds of the 466 children enrolled at CDS have speech and language difficulties as their primary disability, Kozol said. CDS receives funding from the Oregon Department of Education and the federal government. The Hanen program teaches parents the "OWLing method": observe, wait and listen. Mainly, Hanen teaches patience. Joe and Karen Henry know a lot about patience. Their 3-year-old, Franklin, was in the lowest percentile of children his age for speaking. Franklin has autistic tendencies. When Joe and Karen would drive Franklin in the car, he would grow livid looking out the window because he couldn't express what he was seeing. The Hanen program produced videotapes of the Henrys' interaction with Franklin, an eye-opening experience for Joe and Karen. In the first video, Joe bombarded Franklin with questions without waiting for him to respond. Joe grew quieter with later interactions, allowing Franklin to speak. "People don't see themselves as others see them," Levos said. "You may think an interaction is going differently than it really is." Kyle started the Hanen program in February. Prior to the Hanen classes, Kyle repeatedly had tantrums, and he even growled at his grandmother during a visit. "He was like the angriest little man you wouldn't ever want to know," Dahms said. When she'd run errands, "I didn't want to take him with me." Through Hanen, Dahms learned to get down to Kyle's eye level. "Instead of putting words into his mouth, you learn a patience," she said. "You give the child a chance to talk." Parents can read their child familiar stories, leaving out the last word of each sentence for the child to fill in. They can take advantage of their child's love for a toy to prompt the child to speak. Franklin loves manholes, and his parents have capitalized on that. Joe bought a photographic book on different manhole designs and uses it to teach his son. "What's this, Franklin?" Joe asks, pointing to a shape on a manhole. "Star," Franklin says a moment later. Employing Hanen at home is good for parents because "it makes you feel less helpless," Karen Henry said. Another Hanen class is scheduled to begin in the fall. Henry said more parents should take advantage the program. "This empowers you," she said. "There's more to language than talking. It's not the talking, it's the listening."(For more information on the Hanen program, call Nancy Levos at Asante, 608-5252.) Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA