Watching The View

Toni Braxton appeared as the guest host on today’s special episode of The View about autism. Her own son, Diezel, was just diagnosed with autism last fall. Several families appeared on the show to share their own personal struggles with the disease. Today 1 in every 166 children will be diagnosed with autism.

Paula Sell appeared on the show with her 12 year-old twin sons who both have autism. One of the boys has a more severe version of autism than the other and cannot speak. Grace Walker Goad appeared on the show with her mom who is an artist. Grace’s mom encourages her to use art to express herself when she cannot verbalize what she is feeling.

Karen Siff Exkon, author of The Autism Sourcebook, appeared on the show with her 10 year-old son, Jake, who was able to recover from autism thanks to early intervention. Jake was treated for two years, starting at age two, 40 hours a week, with Applied Behavior Analysis, as well as occupational and speech therapy. Although his parents were told that Jake would never speak again, he now attends a regular school. Karen said that is important for parents to know that if their child is diagnosed with autism, they are legally entitled to services and treatments and do not have to pay out-of-pocket. She also stated that early intervention is key, meaning you have to have to your child treated as soon as possible, preferably under the age of three.

Dr. Temple Grandin, author of Unwritten rules of social relationships and Thinking in Pictures, was diagnosed with autism at a young age and had no speech capability until she was 4 years old. She said that thanks to a lot of early intervention, she is no longer autistic. She is credited with inventing the “hug box” or “squeeze machine,” which is a therapeutic, stress-relieving device for autistic individuals who crave sensory stimulation. She came up with the idea at age 18, when she was at her aunt’s ranch, and saw how cattle on their way to being branded would relax after entering a squeeze chute where pressure was applied to them.

Maria Calcangi spoke about her 17 year-old autistic daughter, Gina, and her concerns for Gina as she approaches adulthood. Maria said that she will have to have her daughter, who has moderate to severe autism, declared incompetent so that she and Gina’s father can become her legal guardians. She is very troubled that the federally funded educational programs will end when her daughter reaches the age of 21.

During the show, several clips were shown from the new film Autism Every Day, produced by the organization Autism Speaks, which recently debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.

For more information on the warning signs of autism, visit Autism Speaks.

Toni Braxton, autism, The View, , Autism Every Day, Autism Speaks, Temple Grandin, Karen Siff Exkon