May 7, 2003

Last modified May 7, 2003 - 12:42 am

click to enlarge image

By SUZANNE KYDLAND ADY
Of The Gazette Staff

Lori Gaustad never really bonded with her third child, Garrett, until he was diagnosed with autism at age 3. She knew he was different from she and husband Michael's two daughters, Lindsey and Hillary, but it took awhile before Gaustad realized why.

"When Garrett was born, he failed the APGAR test at first, he didn't breathe right off and he was slow to suck," she explained. "Everything was just a little bit off."

As time passed, other developmental issues became more and more apparent: Garrett didn't like to be held and he didn't start walking until he was 16 months old. Gaustad, who ran a day care in the family's Absarokee home at the time, began to realize her son was far behind his peers.
 

Loss of language skills

"He had trouble communicating, and there were lots of temper tantrums," she said. "He had learned about 10 words and suddenly lost it all."

There was also his hypersensitivity to pain and noise, and the fact that the toddler was obsessed with trucks and wheels.

It was Gaustad's sister who first mentioned autism.

The couple soon made an appointment at the Child Study Center -- now the Children's Clinic -- in Billings. Gaustad said they went not really expecting much of an answer.
 

"But when we were in the waiting room, Garrett was lining up toys from one end of the room to the other and didn't want other kids to touch them," Gaustad said. "We knew something wasn't right."

Autism is a developmental disability caused by a neurological disorder in the brain. It affects the social interaction and communication skills of children within their first three years of life. There is no medical test to diagnose autism, but there are several early behaviors that may be tell-tale signs, such as no babbling, cooing or gesturing by 12 months, or loss of language skills at any age.

Some signs of autism include: Insistence on sameness, using gestures or pointing instead of words, repeating words or phrases in place of normal, responsive language, preferring to be alone, not wanting to be cuddled, little or no eye contact, spinning objects and over- or under-sensitivity to pain.

Although they eventually took Garrett for further testing in Helena, the Gaustads left their appointment with a strong feeling that their son was autistic.

"We told our entire family we needed as much information as we could get on autism," Gaustad said. "We ordered books. We read everything we could get our hands on."

Gaustad gave up her day care in order to have more one-on-one time with Garrett. After finding out that sign language could be useful for kids with little verbal ability and no communication skills, she learned it and started teaching her son. Because of Garrett's fascination with railroad crossings, Gaustad focused specifically on lessons with those colors and shapes.

And she finally started to bond with her child.

"His all-around communication skills really improved, and I felt like my work had really helped," she said. "By the time we went to Helena, they didn't want to label him as 'autistic' because he was making so much progress. They said he had 'autistic-like tendencies,' but we walked away saying, 'Yes, he's autistic.' "

Gaustad continued her research into autism, and now jokes that she was "autistic about autism." Through organizations such as the National Autism Society, she explored various treatments available for Garrett's disorder. She soon discovered auditory integration training, a 10-day process in which the patient listens to sessions of modulated music with various frequencies through headphones.
 

About AIT

Distortions in hearing can sometimes be a contributing factor in autism, attention deficit hyperactive disorder and dylexia. People affected can be hypersensitive and become overstimulated, disoriented or agitated from certain frequencies of sound. AIT is designed to normalize hearing and the ways in which the brain processes auditory information.

Although no one in Montana offered AIT, Gaustad had a good feeling about it. When Garrett was 5, they traveled to Seattle for the treatment. Gaustad noticed dramatic changes within two sessions.

"The whole thing was very intense for him. He was very emotional and would wake up laughing or crying," she said. "Garrett never liked to talk in telephones, but that first night we called home and he said, 'Hi Dad. It's Garrett.' "

There was some regression the following year, but the Gaustads worked through it, providing Garrett with additional AIT therapy and some sensory integration therapy, which helps autistic children better organize and interpret external stimuli such as touch, movement, body awareness, sight, sound and gravity. Garrett has also benefited from dietary intervention to help with dairy and wheat allergies and vitamin therapy.

The family eventually moved to Billings and worked closely with STEP (Support and Techniques for Empowering People), where Gaustad is now employed as an assistant support specialist.

Garrett, now 14, attends Lewis and Clark Middle School, where he is enrolled in all regular classes aside from two in the resource room. He's made the honor roll and plays trombone in the school band.

"Sometimes it's just the opposite with autistic kids, but we've found that if we have high expectations, he'll rise to meet the challenge," Gaustad said.

The family, Garrett included, realizes he's not like other kids. There are social problems, more of an issue now that Garrett doesn't relate much to his peer group. He has different interests, Gaustad explained, such as a fascination with architecture -- bell towers, cathedrals and grain elevators are his favorites.

"He does take medication. He's on Prozac and Ritalin," Gaustad said. "He has a lot of anxiety and is troubled by things he doesn't understand -- like if there's a change in a bus route, or something like that."

Although Garrett will sometimes rock to calm himself, he has worked with a therapist and is learning better ways to deal with situations besides his innate reaction of head-banging or arm-flapping, two typical characteristics often displayed by autistic kids.

Gaustad said she has thought about her son's future since the day he was born.

"When he was younger and asked what his vision for himself was, he said he wanted to drive a car and be a dad," she said. "I think he's very capable of taking care of himself within the community. We can go step by step to help him live his dreams."

Gaustad wouldn't change a thing about her son. She delights in the typical sibling rivalry between Garrett and his sisters, and said this is what was meant to be for the family.

"Somebody asked me once who my hero is, and I thought about that a lot," Gaustad said. "Then I thought, it's really this kid, who has to work so hard to fit into a world he really doesn't understand. He's taught me so much."