By Jon Folmar

On Monday, April 7, the Children’s Policy Council in concert with the First United Methodist Church hosted the First Annual Autism Awareness Event.  Several participants were welcomed and well received. I was not only privileged but blessed by being allowed to be the Host for the event. It was truly educational and enlightening. Several parents of autistic children were present along with professionals who work with autistic children on a daily basis. There were pamphlets and brochures from several care providers that provide resources for families of autistic children available. 

We all were so blessed to have Stephanie Holland, a Luverne native and advocate for Autistic children and their families, come and tell us her story and plight of discovering her son had autism and finding programs to help him. She is a courageous and determined woman who only wants what is best for Jack. We learned about the shock of finding out your child has autism, the plight to try to fix it, the battle to find and receive services for them, the personal and financial costs, and the reality that your autistic child cannot be fixed but is a special person given to you by God with special characteristics, and finally the fear of what happens to your baby child after you are gone. 

You see, after finding out why her son acted different from other boys his age, she was told he had autism. She looked for ways to fix him. Stephanie, like so many parents, sought after help and services locally only to find either there were none or the services were few. She then did the hard sacrifice for her child. She retired from her occupation and applied for multiple special schools and programs in larger metropolitan areas. She learned about a premium school in Birmingham and cried so much they felt sorry for her and let her son in.

It was there that she learned the lesson that all parents of autistic children learn. You cannot fix him or her but you can help him or her learn life coping lessons so they can function in our non-autistic world. Several moves later, many thousands of dollars later, they are now living in Florida where many of the services that Jack needs are free because of their lottery that helps funds scholarships and schools. Jack is doing fine and developing into the best young polite man he can be. One of the things that a child or person does when they have autism and social isolation. They generally do not do well in group settings. But this isolation can be felt by the parents as well. They see the stares, hear the whispering and feel the need to keep their child and themselves isolated as well. This is actually probably one of the worst things they could do. It generally just causes their child to become more withdrawn and isolated. Stephanie refuses to let society isolate herself or her son. She looks at Jack as a blessing and not a curse. She is and will always be his advocate and the advocate of other children and parents that are going through this journey.

Her story, although inspiring, should have never had to happen. There should have been adequate services locally so she did not have to retire and move to other areas. National statistics now say that 1 in 35 children in the United States have Autism Spectrum Disorder. This means that 2.89% of all children will be diagnosed with this disorder. The numbers are increasing each year. The United States only spends 335 million dollars currently on research and treatment. If you are following the news, you have seen that the U.S. Government has spent more on DEI programs and sex change operations than providing necessary services to our children.  Sports stars and movie stars are not the real heroes in America. The real heroes are Stephanie Holland and all those parents of special children that sacrifice daily to make sure that their child gets the best services, love, protection, and as normal of a life that they can possibly have.

It is in Honor of Jack and other great children like him that the Children’s Policy Council is planning a Night Out on the Town for the parents of autistic children. This allows parents to network with each other and get a break or breather while their child is well taken care of. We are also seeking service providers for Autism Spectrum Disorder children to provide services within Crenshaw County.  

I thank Sandy Walker for her leadership in this effort. I also thank Stephanie and all the parents who sacrifice for their children on a daily basis. You are my true heroes.

Jon M. Folmar is Crenshaw County District Judge and chairman of the Crenshaw County Children’s Policy Council.