When Donna Armstrong learned that her 2-year-old daughter had been diagnosed with autism, she was given the option of putting the girl in foster care.
Her answer?
"How do you give a child up?"
So in July of 1987, after a year of occupational therapy, Armstrong and her husband, Jim, took their baby, Barbara Joy, or "Barbie," home to their house in Morton, determined to provide her with the best life possible.
"We didn't even know what autism was," Armstrong said. "If you don't know anybody with this, you're flying blind. It's not an easy thing."
In fact, many people do not understand autism, although as many as 1.5 million Americans are thought to be affected today.
Autism is a complex developmental disability that affects an individual in the areas of social interaction and communications. It affects each person differently and to varying degrees of severity. Autism typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, according to the Autism Society of America, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year.
Rearing a child with autism can be difficult, and the Armstrongs' experience has not been without hardships.
"She's a loving, happy child, but as a baby, she didn't like to be held at all," Armstrong remembers. "Over the years we've kind of broken down the barrier; she shows affection now. It's hard for a mother when your child doesn't want to be rocked."
Barbie, now 20, is a student at Visions, a special education program for young adults with disabilities. The program operates under the Chehalis School District and the Chehalis-Centralia student support cooperative. Its mission is to facilitate lifelong learning through integration of family, community and educational services so that each student has the opportunity to reach his or her potential as a responsible member of the community.
The program represents eight districts in Lewis County, and has 16 students this year, Visions special education teacher Kathryn Rotter said.
"Everybody has individual needs that we try to support," Rotter said. "Barbie has made some huge gains … She'll continue to need a lot of support, but we're finding there can be a lot of structured independence."
Visions is an extension of high school for special-needs children. Barbie attended W.F. West High School in Chehalis and graduated with the class of 2003, although she will not receive a diploma until she completes the Visions program requirements this year.
Although Barbie probably will never have the skills to live alone, she will be able to participate in an assisted living program, Armstrong said.
"She did more than we expected, and we are really appreciative of Barbie's skills," she said. "There are things she'll never do, but she can function really well. She's wonderful with her hygiene and clothes, and she loves to shop."
However, her lack of communication skills present some problems.
"She knows sign language," Armstrong said. "When she can't tell you what she wants, she finger-spells it or signs."
Despite these limitations, Barbie has a sharp sense of humor and a bright personality, exhibiting typical behaviors of other young adults her age. She loves music, swimming, working out and bowling, and can be quite a tease, Armstrong said.
Barbie's teachers said she enjoys being with people, and tends to be very social. One time Barbie was working at the courthouse with a replacement aide, and decided to play a little joke.
"The whole time she was giggling," Armstrong said. "She took (the aide) to the wrong building on purpose and laughed the whole time. For a child like that to have a sense of humor is something unexpected."
At school, Barbie learns to work, shop and stay within a budget. She makes her own lunch each day with groceries she buys herself. She also is presented with social opportunities with peers, community members and employees.
"It's finding the right niche," Rotter said. "Barbie can fold bags at Salvation Army for three hours and not get bored. She's got the skills and the interest."
One of the main goals for students at Visions is to connect with support agencies so they can become part of the job force, Rotter said. For students with autism, this involves learning with routine, predictability and visual clues.
"We want the connection between work, money and fun," she said.
This means setting long-term goals and short-term objectives. For Barbie, the program is helping her work on being able to do things independently without a support person at her side, Rotter said. Although Barbie has made significant advances at Visions, Armstrong said it is sometimes difficult to transfer these skills to home life.
"Autism is goofy. In her mind, you do things at school, but you don't do them at home, so we've had some clashes."
But Armstrong said Barbie has always been a helper who loves to do the laundry, dishes and dusting. She also has a typical relationship with her 25-year-old sister, Jeanine, who began by complaining, "Mom, she won't play with me," and quickly switching to, "Mom, she won't stay out of my stuff!"
Rotter said family support is critical to people with developmental disabilities, and it is evident that Barbie's family has been supportive throughout her entire school career.
Armstrong said she has always made it a point to take Barbie everywhere with her, and although this has been positive in Barbie's development, there have been some setbacks. Armstrong remembers one time in a store when Barbie became upset and vocally agitated about the building's high ceilings.
"Do you want me to call 911?" someone asked sarcastically.
Armstrong said nothing at the time while she tried to calm her daughter, but now wishes she had acted differently.
"The more I thought about it, the madder I got," she said. "People don't realize — that hurts."
Armstrong said this is the most important thing she would like people to understand about autism: that although these people are different, they have every right to be active members of the community.
"She's not a drain on society," Armstrong said. "She's going to be working and paying taxes. She's got just as much a right to be here as anybody else. You just want her to be accepted."
This is why programs such as Visions provide important resources for people with developmental disabilities.
"Integrating with the public shows that these people are worthy citizens," Rotter said. "Fears come from the unknown."
Rayna Austin, who works for the Infant Toddler Developmental Center serving Lewis County, has known Barbie since she was first diagnosed in the late '80s.
"We see autism more often now," Austin said. "We didn't have a lot of experience when she first came, so we learned together. The first few years are very critical, and those children who have followed the plan, their lives have become much better."
Austin said the changes in Barbie throughout the years have been wonderful, and it has been a pleasure to watch her grow and develop through programs such as Visions.
"Ever since we were told she was autistic, we've worked for independence," Armstrong said. "She's come a long way since she was first diagnosed. We have tried to treat her as normal as possible."
When Barbie was a little girl, her mother made her a T-shirt that said,"I have great potential." She has proven that to be true, Armstrong said. And looking at this sweet, smiling young woman with a bubbling personality, it's hard to focus on her limitations.
"She's our lesson in love," Armstrong said.
Sarah Getchman covers city government and health for The Chronicle. She may be reached at 807-8241, or by e-mail at sgetchman@chronline.com.
