The Woodward News

Local News

October 20, 2009

Students to offer insight on autism

For parents, the symptoms of autism can be very confusing to sort out.  If you do in fact discover that your child has the disease, finding information about it can become complicated.

The health occupations students at High Plains Technology Center want to help parents find the answers.

The students will provide information about autism during the Rally ‘Round Children festival at the Woodward County Fair Grounds this coming Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

HPTC Health Careers Instructor Polly Cottom said, “Autism affects a large number of kids in the United States, and even though we’re learning more about autism, it’s still not well understood and I think the public needs to know more about it.  Hopefully, we’re getting better at serving the families and the people affected with autism, but I still think we have a long way to go.”

According to the website for the "autism science and advocacy organization" Autism Speaks (www.autismspeaks.org), “one in every 150 children is diagnosed with autism.”

Seven-year-old Patrick Maggard, of Woodward, was diagnosed with a type of autism when he was three-years-old.  Although he does not always prefer to be around people, the brave little boy attends first grade. 

 His mother, Suellen Maggard, describes him as a joyful, normal kid. She said Patrick is also “very bright and has a photographic memory.”

But the disease does present some problems.

“Patrick is in the medium of socializing. He gets in moods where he doesn’t want to be around anyone, and other days he’ll want to be around a few people," Maggard said.

In addition, she said, "He has sensitivity to sounds.  They can bother him so bad that it puts him in pain.”

Because of issues like these, school can be a difficult place for children with autism, but Patrick’s teacher and class have become his biggest cheerleaders. 

 “I was terrified that the kids were going to make fun of him, and it’s the total opposite.  His teacher is awesome with him and explained his situation to the the other students, who are very protective of him. The whole class just absorbs him, the kids are all behind him 100 percent,” Maggard said. 

Maggard said that autism is a general term used to describe a large group of disorders. 

“For parents, they just have to do research and ask questions.  A mother knows her child better than any doctor,” she said.

A child with autism may  have a good week and then a bad week.  Maggard suggests writing the child's behaviors down in a journal.

“Patrick would show different behaviors at home than he would at the doctor's office.  If I would not have written things down he may not have been diagnosed properly,” she said.

According to the Autism Speaks website, the cause for the vast majority of autism cases are unknown.  Treatment for autism can be a very intensive undertaking, in which Maggard said “can be done a lot of different ways.”

“It has not been cured, but it can be helped," Maggard said.  "For my son ADHD and autism go hand in hand.  If he is on his medication, it allows him to focus and really soak things up.  There are also different things out there that help him learn.”

She added, “We are satisfied how he is, we love the quirky and funny things he does and we don’t want to change him.”

Text Only
Local News
  • Businesses damaged by high wind

    Two buildings were damaged and several power poles knocked out by high winds in Woodward on Friday night.

    May 26, 2012

  • VFW to hold Memorial Day ceremony

    Memorial Day is a day for people to remember and honor those who have fought and fallen in all of our nation's wars.

    May 26, 2012

  • Voter registration deadline approaching

    Those wanting cast a ballot in the June 26 Primary Election need to be registered to vote by June 1.

    May 26, 2012

  • Alabaster Caverns sets science camp

    FREEDOM - Alabaster Caverns State Park and the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) are teaming up to provide a summer science camp.

    May 26, 2012

  • Giving kids a reason to smile

    SHARON - An area organization wants to give children affected by the April 15 tornado a reason to smile.
    Knowing how much many families lost during the tornado, the newly formed "Make a Child Smile" program seeks to help replace the children's beloved items that were stolen by the storm.

    May 25, 2012

  • Oklahoma House narrowly passes annual budget bill

    OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma House on Thursday narrowly approved a $6.8 billion general appropriations bill to fund state government, just hours after the same bill failed, avoiding the need to return for a special session.

    May 25, 2012

  • Farmer’s Market opening up Saturday

    The Woodward Farmer's Market Association will be back this summer.

    May 25, 2012

  • Officials expect busy weekend on highways


    OKLAHOMA CITY -  AAA Oklahoma expects over 500,000 state residents to be on the road for the Memorial Day holiday. That's a 2.2 percent increase from last year, said Chuck Mai, AAA public affairs vice president.
     

    May 24, 2012

  • Busy summer at library

    The Woodward Public Library will be staying busy in months to come with several summer reading programs.

    May 24, 2012

  • Quinlan event set

    QUINLAN - The annual Quinlan Alumni and Former Quinlan Students' covered dish supper is Saturday at the Quinlan Fellowship Hall.

    May 24, 2012