Addressing 2016 Kickoff Banquet for Autism Speaks

Hi! My name is Cheryl Williams Honeycutt. I am a 60 year old widow who has returned to school because I have a driving passion for learning – especially learning about autism and how to best educate children with special needs. I am raising my 5-year-old great-grandson. GGboy is on the ASD spectrum between the moderate and severe range and has emerging language skills. He is the center of my life. I am determined that he will have a better life than other special needs children I have known.

You see, my family has a long uncomfortable history with Autism.

My father’s first cousin had all the classic symptoms of an autistic child with severe behavior problems. After he chased his siblings wielding an ax, his parents felt they only had 2 choices: commit him to a mental institution or keep him on a chain. He was chained to the woodshed.

This cousin’s mother was a kind woman with a loving disposition. I could not imagine how she could do soething so cruel; so I asked her. She explained that when her son was a child, there were no good choices for children with disabilities – especially problem behaviors. Many families sent their children to institutions that were squallid; where they would likely suffer abuse and go hungry. She could not bear the thought, but she also had to keep her children (including this son) and the community safe. Her choice was one of necessity; the best of the only two deplorable choices available.

That happened in the 1930’s.

In the early 1960’s, my own first cousin started school at the age of 6. At that time, he was non-verbal. He still bitterly recalls the cruel way the other children treated him. In his words, “They knew I couldn’t speak, but they didn’t know I could hear.” He now publishes science fiction books online. He continues to struggle socially.

My grandson was born in the 1990s. He was high functioning but still exhibited autistic behaviors such as flapping, food selectivity, diminished social skills, obsessions and intense emotional outbursts. His parents thought they could beat the autistic behavior out of him. He was beat. And beat. And beat. Of course, they never “cured” his autism but they wounded his soul and crushed his spirit.

In 2011, my great-grandson was born. My GGboy. My heart of hearts, When GGboy was 2, his pediatrician gave me a questionnaire called the M-CHAT. When we got home was Google the word “autism” for the first time. We were referred to Babies Can’t Wait, Georgia’s early intervention program for children with developmental delays. From there, he attended head start; then Marcus Autism Center; and is now attending public school in Gwinnett County.

Because of early intervention GGboy has made unbelievable progress. I don’t have to consider chaining him to a woodshed. I am less concerned about whether he will be accepted by his peers. I know we can’t beat the autism out of him – nor would I want to. He now has a voice. My voice. Our voice. And for that I am eternally grateful.

Now you know why I feel so deeply about early intervention. I advocate for my cousins, my grandson, my great-grandson. I advocate because we have come so far since the 1930’s. I advocate because we still have so far to go.