By SHAVAUGHN MOSS, Special Sections Editor,shavaughn@nasguard.com

Their is no greater joy for parents than learning their family is going to be expanded, and that was the case for Dwayne and Kim Gibson when she became pregnant with their third child. It was a normal, happy pregnancy for Kim, and she gave birth to a healthy, boy, who they named Daylen. His early coo's, smiles and gurgles and other general baby sounds proved to be a delight for the entire family.

At approximately the age of two, the Gibsons started to notice changes in their son. He would not respond when called or when people went in and out of rooms. The distraught couple thought their beautiful son was deaf. They had him tested, and found his hearing was just fine.

They took him to a neurologist, for further tests, because his behavior had remained the same. At the age of two-and-a-half, Daylen was said to have a pervasive developmental delay, and later diagnosed with autism, a social and communication disorder, that affects one in every 150 children and one in every 94 boys, according to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kim was shell-shocked and afraid. Her child looked normal, but medical professionals were telling her that he had autism. At the time, she did not know what it meant. All she thought about was "gloom and doom" that Daylen would have no life.

The Gibsons took Daylen to the Miami Children's Hospital Dan Marino Center to get the best medical help to deal with his autism, and started to educate themselves about autism.

After talking with the doctors at the Center, she realized Daylen was not mentally retarded — that he could have a life — he could learn, and maybe even go to college. They got Daylen started with speech therapy.

Because the traits of autism are so wide, there are kids who are autistic, and you don't even notice it. Then there are kids with communication problems like the Gibson's son. But to look at Daylen, you can't tell that he's autistic, and he's enrolled in regular school. And there are children who are mentally retarded with autistic traits.

Kim was relieved to know that their is help out there, and children with autism could possibly lead normal lives, but, she realized they had a lot of work ahead of them, as The Bahamas does not have the facilities, and the therapy to help kids like their son.

It was in July, that the Gibsons took Daylen to the Learning Centre of Kendall, which teaches the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) approach in treating autism. The ABA approach teaches social, motor, and verbal behaviors as well as reasoning skills-problems that many individuals with autism encounter. ABA therapy is used to teach behaviors to individuals with autism who may not otherwise "pick up" these behaviors spontaneously through imitation. ABA teaches these skills through use of behavioral observation and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.

Daylen who is currently receiving behavior modification skills, including speech and occupational therapy, is also working with therapists on his fine motor skills — how to act, walk and interact with other people. Kim says she has seen an improvement in her son.

Generally ABA involves intensive training of the therapists, extensive time spent in ABA therapy (20-40 hours per week) and weekly supervision by experienced clinical supervisors known as a certified behavior analyst. ABA principles can also be used with a range of typical or atypical individuals whose issues vary from developmental delays, significant behavioral problems or undesirable habits that need to be corrected.

The therapist in charge of the Kendall facility that Daylen attends is Zonya Mitchell, a Bahamian Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst who is presently working on her doctorate degree in Neuro-psychology and is working on opening an ABA center in New Providence called the Nassau Learning Center on Sunday, January 6, in Wong's Plaza, Palmdale.

"This will be the first time this therapy will be offered in The Bahamas and it is greatly needed," said Kim, "because many parents like myself have had to relocate to Florida for their kids to receive ABA." But she is thankful that Daylen will be able to return home this month, because Mitchell is opening The Center in January.

For the past five months, she's criss-crossed the Atlantic to be with Daylen, in Florida, and her husband and two other children in New Providence, while retaining an apartment in Florida, and paying Daylen's medical bills. It's expensive, she says, but worth it, she says, because she has seen that ABA does work.

Kim says Daylen needs at least another year of therapy, and it makes her happy to know that he and other kids like him, with social disorders, will be able to receive it at home, when The Center opens its doors.

While there is speech therapy in The Bahamas, Kim says it simply isn't enough. "In the U.S., kids diagnosed with autism are in regular classrooms because they have the ability to learn — and to learn just as much — but they just do it differently."

If you think your child may be autistic, signs that you should look for include, a child that's non verbal at age two; if they don't point; if they don't make eye contact; if they walk on their tip toes; they don't interact; flapping of arms. These characteristics, may not be in every child, but if you notice two or three of them, then you should consult a neurologist.

"As a baby, a lot of people think that the child is deaf, because they don't respond. And that's how it was with Daylen. Pediatricians say relax, but you should see a neurologist," says Kim, a mother who has been through it all.

"There is hope, and a light at the end of the tunnel, and the [Nassau Learning] Center will make a difference for all kids such as Daylen."

Sixteen years ago, 1 in every 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism, now it's one in every 150, and 1 in every 94 boys.

While Kim has not been given an official diagnosis as to why her last child is autistic, her personal opinion is that he "crashed" after being immunized.

There are many who believe that the epidemic levels of neurological disorders in children today are environmental issues caused by an overload of heavy metals, with the primary causes including the tripling of vaccines given to children in the last 15 years.

"My son met all of his milestones, but after he had his MMR [Measles, Mumps, Rubella] shot, things started developing. I called the doctor's office and asked when Daylen got his shot, because between 18 months and 2 1/2 years, he changed and shut down. Research is still being done, but I think it's because of that [immunization]," she said.

As work is being done to transform the offices of the Nassau Learning Centre, Kim said it has been inspiring to see the children that Mitchell has worked with in the classroom just blossom.

One often misunderstood concept is that autism is comparable to mental retardation, but it is not. Autism is a complex brain disorder that presents itself in early childhood and continues straight into adulthood greatly affecting an individual's social and communication skills.

There are many schools of thought concerning what causes autism. Some believe that the disorder arises as a result of a genetic predisposition. In recent times, the more controversial debate has surfaced suggesting that high percentages of toxic heavy metals, present in immunizations, has caused a high number of children to be diagnosed with autism. Despite the many proposals, the definitive cause of autism is still unknown.

Although autism is a lifelong disorder, many individuals diagnosed with the condition are still promised a bright future and go on to live very normal independent lives provided they are given the necessary support from family, teachers, doctors and therapists.