By JON BAKER

SEEKONK — Back in 1999, Mark and Jodie Drapeau were living happily as a young family in north Seekonk when they noticed their first-born child, Brad, wasn’t developing as a “normal” infant.
They wanted desperately to witness the usual gurgling and eye contact, but didn’t -- the tell-tale signs of autism.

“He was in early intervention at nine months because he wasn’t doing the typical things,” remembered Mark, now a 40-year-old building designer for a Cranston structural engineering firm. “We knew something was wrong, and it was a ton of stress. We had so many questions, but nobody would give us any answers, that is, the medical people.
“It wasn’t until Brad was about 15 months that Dr. Barry Prizant came to our house to see Brad,” he added. “Barry got on his hands and knees as Brad played outside, and he got Brad to look at him. That was absolutely amazing. He never had made any real eye contact with us. Barry asked us questions to get a feel for what he was going through, and — after the visit — he gave us a referral to a neurologist for an official diagnosis.
“That’s when we found out: Brad had autism.”
Since then, the Drapeaus — now residing in North Smithfield — have sought help from a variety of sources, and found it. In fact, on Sunday afternoon, Mark admitted he became even more educated about the subject during a private screening of a 71-minute documentary entitled “Autism: Another Way of Communicating … ” at Seekonk Congregational Church’s Woodworth Hall.
He — not to mention Bob and Jan Randall of Seekonk — played “roles” in the movie, a creation of director and producer Gary Keys; assistant director David Himmelstein; Prizant, an executive producer and technical consultant; and a bevy of others.
“Seeing myself on screen? That’s no big deal,” Mark laughed. “I’ve been on cable TV before. The most important thing about this is getting the word out. Anything we can do to get exposure about autism is a good thing. If it’s entertaining, that’s even better.”

What is autism?
In the film, higher-functioning children, parents and professionals addressed the query, “Is autism a tragedy, or rather a unique way of living and seeing the world?”
For those who don’t know, autism is defined as “a complex developmental disability that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction, communication and behavior. Autism is a spectrum disorder that affects each individual differently — in varying degrees,” said Jan Randall, a parent resource specialist at Community Autism Resources, Inc., located in Swansea.
“Barry came up with the idea to film the documentary before our 11th annual Autism Spectrum Disorders Symposium at the Rhode Island Convention Center in March 2006, and the theme was to help parents nurture strengths and talents in their children (with autism),” said Barbara Dominique, founder and executive director of C.A.R.
See AUTISM, Page A-2
“Part of the film also took place at our annual retreat in West Greenwich, which took place in June of ’06.
“I liked the fact that we were focusing on positive aspects (of the disorder),” she added. “We know it’s difficult on the person with it, as well as their families, but we don’t have to get lost in hopelessness. It’s nice to see a documentary that accentuates the positive, what these kids may be able to someday contribute to society.
“I don’t consider autism a tragedy. I know it creates a hard life for those people who have it, and a challenging life for those who must deal with it, but it is what you make of it. The whole idea is to look for those strengths, what they’re good at, what they have fun with, and focus on them. Steve Shore (a published author with autism) said every child -- even the most severe (cases) -- has some skill, some strength.
“He said you may have to look for it, but it’s in that child somewhere. You’ve got to be open-minded, and find it.”

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The documentary displayed the stunning -- some may use the word “savant” -- abilities of book-writers Shore and Temple Grandin, an associate professor of animal science at Colorado State University and internationally known as the first person to compose works about her disability; and 14-year-old pianist Matt Savage, who has performed on many TV shows and recently opened for Wynton Marsalis in a nationally-televised concert.
Other scenes depicted parents and children working together to develop interests in the arts, music and dealings with animals.
‘This shows a couple of different perspectives,” Mark Drapeau stated. “You’ve got the kids who are very talented but the obstacles they had to overcome to get there, and also how hard it can be on the parents. The way I view this, it teaches you to focus on a child’s strengths and to nurture them. You’ve got to look long-term; that is, how will my kid someday fit into society.
“When Brad was young, he got infatuated with pop-up sprinklers in lawns,” he continued. “Since he was about 4 1/2, he has become higher-functioning and more verbal, as he is moderate on the ASD scale, but he still needs help with some day-to-day activities.
“Let’s put it this way: If I took him Brad (now 10) to a baseball game, he’d have no interest in it. He’d be staring at the grass, looking for the sprinklers. Even at, like, a barbeque, he’ll be searching, and -- when he finds one -- he’ll lift them up to read them, see what brand it is. What we did was buy a lot of sprinklers as we never have had them in our yards. They’re not underground. Jodie and I use them as a reward system for good behavior or accomplishing tasks.
“He also loves stage lights and how they work, and fire alarms. His interests are so deep in those areas, he’s become very knowledgeable. Now the twist is to get him to maybe incorporate those interests into some kind of career … Hey, look at the kids in the documentary. It’s not that far-fetched.”

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Bob and Jan Randall discovered their now 22-year-old son, Andrew, had autism when he was about three, and the problems the couple encountered caused considerable tension in the relationship.
“The marriage has been challenged, and Bobby would say the same thing,” Jan offered. “Having a kid with autism takes so much time and energy, there’s little left over to focus on being together. Humor is a huge part of dealing with it, and that comes out at the retreat. No one minces words. People lay it all on the line, telling you, ‘This is what we’re going through,’ and you understand. It’s the good, the bad and the ugly.
“What helps is finding interests for your child,” she added. “That’s how Andrew ended up painting.”
One day about four years ago, Andrew attended a “Fun Fridays” group at C.A.R., and the featured guest was an artist, who introduced children with the disability to paint and canvasses.
“I was told afterward that -- when everyone else was done painting and went to get something to eat -- Andrew stayed put,” she grinned. “He loved it. I talked to my daughter, Allie, who was in art school. We got him some materials, and Andrew started painting.
“We accidently fell into it, but now he’s sold four paintings -- ranging between $50 and $115,” she added. “Hopefully, it will take him into the typical world.”
Another Seekonkian, freelance writer Laura Calverley, attended the event, and claimed fascination at the film’s message. She and husband Jim have a five-year-old son, Will, with autism.
“It makes me want to concentrate on trying to find his own path, his special skills,” she noted. “The film was moving, very emotional, and funny in some spots. I’ve never been to a parental retreat, but it makes me want to go. Will was 18 months old when he was diagnosed. He was non-verbal, and we knew something was going on. The good news was he was very affectionate, which is odd for austistic kids.
“Now I think we need to put more effort into Will’s interests,” she added. “He loves music and dancing. At Christmas, he’ll watch ‘White Christmas,’ and he’ll copy the moves he sees. Actually, he’s pretty good. Now he’s communicating better than he has. Who knows? Maybe he’ll become a musician or dancer someday.”