This information-packed guest blog is the second in a series from my friend and colleague Dan E. Burns. Dan is absolutely passionate about asking tough questions and finding answers related to young adults living with autism and their families. Dan’s last guest post Funding Autism for Life addressed options families have for supporting and caring for individuals with autism when they age out of public school. This excellent post from Dan explores The Brookwood Community, the brain in relation to movement and exercise and much, much more. Enjoy!
Touch, See, Feel, Move: The Brookwood Community in Texas and the Autism Epidemic
By Dan E. Burns
“We don’t just believe in miracles,” my guide told me, “we rely on them.” White-haired and in her eighties now, striding ahead of me cell phone in hand, my guide, called “Me-Maw” by some of the residents who to flock around her, prefers to remain anonymous. “I didn’t build this wonderful place,” she explained. “It’s God’s doing.”
She opened door after door as we made our way through clusters of busy citizens in the ceramic workshops, gym, natatorium, and clinic to a fine, on-campus restaurant near the gift shop and gardens of The Brookwood Community, a 495-acre residential/educational village designed to enhance the lives of adults with disabilities.

Last week marked a milestone for our family. Sam is ten years old and in the fourth grade in public school. The last time Sam went to public school was when he participated in the PPCD Program (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities). That was many years ago. Since that time we have been fortunate to find loving, nurturing private schools that could meet Sam's unique learning needs. We made the decision that it would be in Sam's best social interest to stay back in the fourth grade as he enters public school rather than move forward into fifth grade.

We often take for granted the little things that are surrounding us each day. Paved streets, light poles, stop signs, running water, fresh food at the local market, a roof over our head...all of these are huge endeavors to create. However, rarely do we stop and think about the privileges they are. I have traveled the back roads of China and I can tell you with certainty that this list is just the beginning of a much longer list of things I often take for granted.

Growing up in special education, I endured what felt like endless years of bullying. I've been called names, tossed in lockers and closets, and had my head shoved in toilets. I've been kicked, tripped, spat on, and had gum slapped on my head I can't tell you how many times, only for my friend to cut it out with a pocket knife. And, yes, that hurt.

If you only knew how difficult the road was to get here.
If you only knew the many tears that have been shed, the countless hours of therapy, the tests he has undergone, the fear that he has experienced, the ridicule he has endured, the times he has been laughed at, the frustration he has learned to live with. If you only knew.
If you only knew the hours a mother and a father have spent trying to piece together the past and plan for the future.
If you only knew the amount of money, the friendships that have been lost, and the toll it has taken to get here.

For Luke's second birthday party four years ago we played a lot of outdoor games with friends and family. One of the highlights of the party was Blackjack the pony we had booked for pony rides. The kids thought it was the craziest thing having Blackjack walking around the backyard and getting to ride on him for as long as they wanted. There was so much to do that it was no big deal to wait for the next turn. This party was a lot of fun...and it was for a two year old.

Autism: A Compromised Immune System
Autism, ASD, ADD, ADHD, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Depression, Schizophrenia, Allergies, Eczema, Asthma, have one underlying factor: A COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEM.

We can not travel the autism journey alone. Some say it takes a village to raise a child. When it comes to raising a child with autism, it takes a small army. Our children are unique, different, special, and require a different set of tools that we often pick up along the way. As a community, we share from our bag of tricks and ideas. After a few years of being involved in the autism community, you quickly get past the awareness phase because you're dealing with much more immediate, bigger, and pressing matters.