It’s no secret that people with autism are often left out socially. They are less likely to receive phone calls or invites from friends than even those with other types of developmental disabilities.
Well, throw in the Christmas season, and you’ve got the makings of soot in your eyes.
If there is a Santa Claus, and I still believe there is, this year will be different. At least it promises to be this weekend.
However short, this is a good thing.
More than 3.5 million Americans are living with an autism spectrum disorder. Nationally, 1 in 59 children had an ASD diagnosis by age 8 in 2014, a 15 percent increase over 2012. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability.
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We normally reserve April, the month set aside as Autism Awareness Month, for raising these issues, if we do at all, but experts say the need for concern is great.
Christina Banbury has been staring these numbers in the face since at least 2013, when she started working with children on the spectrum.
It’s when she started to notice children were lonely because they lacked the social skills to make friends and so don’t get invited to parties or other outings.
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“A lot of people see this as weakness,” Banbury said. “They don’t realize that children with autism just use their minds differently; that they are incredibly smart but in a different way.”
Banbury, an applied behavioral therapist by trade, partnered with Tameika Meadows, a board-certified behavior analyst, to start a program called Social Innovations to teach children with autism socially appropriate behavior, including how to read social cues and communicate their emotions.
Credit: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Earlier this year, the women went a step further and started their own company, MindSmart Corp., and then the nonprofit MindSmart Foundation, perhaps the first social enterprise for autism therapy services in the country.
“We take 50 percent of our profits and reinvest into the nonprofit,” she said. “We’re here to advocate, educate, provide resources and to bring hope to this community.”
MindSmart will host its first annual Food & Toy Drive this Saturday and Sunday for Georgia families with children with autism and other disabilities. Then at 3 p.m. Sunday, the foundation will hold an Autism Walk, starting at the Woodruff Arts Center and ending at Centennial Olympic Park.
This might be the best part. It’s all free and open to the public.
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Banbury was sitting in her bedroom one day early this year trying to figure out how to proceed with the vision she believes God gave her when she read about the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000.
“That spoke to me,” she said. “As long as God’s will is done, that’s what we’re sticking to. The goal is to reach 2,500 people each of the two days.”
It’s no match for the birth of Jesus himself, but turning a little boy’s lunch into a feast for 5,000 men, women and children ought to be enough to shatter all our finite expectations of God.
Just as Christ amplified the meager provisions given to him, God can similarly amplify our gifts, money and talents when we bring them to him.
“I like to make a difference,” Banbury said. “I always think things are possible.”
Jesus could have manifested sustenance in the hands of each person in the crowd, but instead chose to use the food the boy had shared and use his disciples to distribute the meal.
This is the season of miracles, but it can also be the source of much hand-wringing as we try to decide what to give, how much and if there is enough to go around.
We might do less of that if we could just remember that God can take a little and do much more than we could ever imagine. When we trust him, he will not only provide our needs, he will amplify our offerings to bless others.
Banbury seems to have figured that out. It’s up to all of us to offer our hands and arms to help her and see what miracle God will work in the lives of these children and their families.
Can you even imagine?
Find Gracie on Facebook (www.facebook.com/graciestaplesajc/) and Twitter (@GStaples_AJC) or email her at gstaples@ajc.com.
EVENT PREVIEW
December 5000: The Season of Miracles
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 15-16. Free. Centennial Olympic Park, 265 Park Ave. W. NW, Atlanta. mindsmart.us.
