Support helps teen conquer autism

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Support helps teen conquer autism

By Carla Lee • The Dothan Eagle • April 6, 2008

DOTHAN -- Ever since the birth of her first son, Carie Tenzel has

struggled to get the best for him.

The best diagnosis, the best treatment, the best teacher to relate to

an autistic child. None of these came easily in the early 1990s for a

young military wife who was the mother of a struggling 2-year-old as

well as a newborn.

" Autism wasn't as well-known then, and doctors didn't give much hope

for children with autism to live normal lives, " said Tenzel, who

founded a local support group three years ago for families of

autistic children.

Today, things are very different, and given the right opportunities,

children with autism can excel in ways once thought impossible,

according to Tenzel.

Her son, Chaz Tenzel-Walser, who is now 15, was diagnosed with a form

of autism known as asperger syndrome. He's attended mainstream

classes since kindergarten, plays trumpet in the Dale County High

School Marching Band and is on track toward an advanced high school

diploma.

However, his future didn't seem so bright a few years ago, Tenzel

said.

" As a parent, you notice if your child is meeting certain milestones

when they are supposed to, " she said. " Even at 8 and 9 months, Chaz

still wasn't crawling -- he would just rock back and forth.

" Even when he did crawl at 10 months, he only crawled backward, but

doctors told me not to worry. "

At the time, Tenzel worked for a daycare and noticed Chaz doing

things other children didn't do.

" He would take a dime or a penny and spin it and watch, " she

said. " Everything had to do with the spinning motion -- wheels on

cars, anything in motion. "

During that time, he also had 13 ear infections. After he had tubes

inserted, he started walking at 15 months, but still wasn't talking

and showed no interest in other children, she said.

" In the military at that time, it was hard to get a diagnosis, " she

said. " I told the doctors that, given all his symptoms together,

everything I read pointed to autism, but they said it probably wasn't

the case because it was such a rare disease. "

Tenzel, however, was determined to get to the bottom of the mystery

that was keeping her son from reaching the milestones he should. She

traveled six hours to a development pediatrician in Mississippi,

where he spent 45 minutes with the toddler before pronouncing his

diagnosis -- autism that would prevent Chaz from ever graduating high

school and news that he'd most likely need special care for the rest

of his life.

" I was mad -- we waited four hours, he watched Chaz put together two

puzzles and that was it, " Tenzel said.

It wasn't long before Tenzel's marriage began to suffer because of

differing opinions on Chaz's care. She and her husband eventually

divorced.

Although Tenzel discovered many available resources, she decided to

take it a step further and learn all she could about autism and the

many disorders included under its spectrum.

" We began speech therapy, and our early intervention therapist,

, at Fort Rucker was a godsend, " Tenzel said. " If it weren't for

her and the many wonderful doctors and counselors we've met along the

way, Chaz wouldn't be where he is today. "

Tenzel always has encouraged Chaz's interests. When he decided to

join the band, his mother was skeptical.

" Loud noises especially affect people with autism, but he knew just

what he wanted to do, " she said. " He wanted to play trumpet, and he's

done well. "

When he does have problems or episodes, his teachers are very good at

handling the situation, Tenzel said.

" When he does have a meltdown, he's already having a bad day and some

trigger just made it worse, " she said. " His doctors, like Dr.

Handel, help him get the bottom of the problem and find a way to

handle it better next time. "

Tenzel now has two reasons to get involved. Her 13-year-old son,

Colt, was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,

which also falls in the autism spectrum. Her group, Autism Awareness

in the Wiregrass, has more than 50 members from across the region,

Florida and Georgia.

" We're all kind of co-leaders, " she said. " Their children are on all

different levels of the autism spectrum, from Chaz being the most

highly functional to 22-year-old twins with cerebral palsy. "

The group raises money for the Autism Society of Alabama through

various fundraisers including the annual Walk for Autism, which is

coming up on April 19.

" We really work to get the word out about autism, " she said. " Today,

it affects one in every 150 children, and we still don't really know

the cause.

" Some researchers think it's genetic and some say it's environmental,

but from my experience, I think it all runs together and could be

caused by both.

" Whatever the underlying reason is, we just want to make sure every

family has the support they need. "