Autism Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Autism Yesterday



Autism Today

Where can I get help today?
Let me suggest three resources:

1. On the web: AutismToday.com In 1996 Karen Simmons (author, keynote speaker, and businesswoman in autism-related endeavors) had a vision to simplify the information gathering and evaluating process for families dealing with Autism Spectrum Disorders for "help you need now." This amazing website seems limitless, featuring such diverse topics as:

• Resources
• Employment
• "Ask the Expert"
• Article Library (with over 2,500 pages of content)
• Help packages for anyone who needs help for a special needs child
• Much, much more

2. In North Carolina: For over 43 years, the Autism Society of North Carolina has worked to address areas of need and expand services for the autism community in North Carolina. ASNC is a statewide organization, supporting North Carolinians affected by autism. Every dollar that they raise stays within North Carolina, helping people who live and work in our local communities.

I have been fortunate; their headquarters are just three blocks from my home at: 505 Oberlin Rd #230, Raleigh, NC 27605. I have visited these kind, professional people many times for advice on a loved one. They have many resources, including a media library and a huge bookstore. Give them a call at (800) 442-2762. Their magazine, The Spectrum, is published in January and July.

3. In Raleigh: For pre-K children (ages 3-5) with special educational needs and their families, the Frankie Lemmon School and Developmental Center provides life-changing education and support that leads to successful participation in family and community life and achievement of the child’s full potential.

For over four years I volunteered here as "Mr. Pat" until my age caught up with me. So now I restrict my activities to those my body can handle. But with all my heart I can truthfully tell you that this school is truly blessed to have such talented and loving teachers, assistants and staff. They are all saints and I love every one of them. I'll never get these special children – my "friends" – out of my heart; nor do I want to. They'll grow up to be very special adults thanks to this very special team.

The Frankie Lemmon School: Looking Back 20 Years
by Jordan E. Harrell, video editor extraordinaire

Autism Tomorrow:

According to the website Autism Speaks, there's "A Future Full of Purpose and Dignity for Adults with Autism." I agree. My own loved one is living proof.

In other words, there's hope!

Again, according to Autism Speaks,

"Over the coming decade, 500,000 individuals with autism will leave school and enter adulthood. This is in addition to the millions of adults with autism who already live throughout the United States. Many of these individuals will need to access the adult services system, a system that already has exceedingly long waiting lists and few autism-specific supports."

Autism Speaks is among the top 10 autism websites listed in Autism.About.com.

Author Patrick Simpson and his wheelchair-restricted wife Anne uncover their experiences exploring historical and cultural experiences around the world. Visit now to learn how independent travel for disabled persons is not only possible, it can be fun!! www.booksbypatricksimpson.com

Lost in "The Village"

Saturday, 10 September 1994: We had intended to drive directly to the Llechwedd Slate Mine but Jack, owner of the Coach Househotel in the Welsh market town of Ruthin, had recommended a detour to Portmeirion. “What’s Portmeirion?” we asked.

Jack smiled. “Do you remember a British TV series from the sixties called The Prisoner? It starred Patrick McGoohan.”

“I certainly do,” I said. “It was one of my favorite shows.”

“Well, Portmeirion is "The Village", where the series was filmed. And it’s right on your way.” Portmeirion immediately shot up to the top of our list of places to see. In just seventeen episodes (1967-1968), The Prisoner, a British and American television series, had become a true cult classic. The story – a spy, the nameless Number Six, resigns for an undisclosed reason and is abducted to a mystery village for debriefing. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, its roots were in Cold War paranoia and growing concerns about the involvement of the state in the daily lives of its citizens. It was part spy fiction, part science fiction and part psychological drama.

Today, as Jack pointed out, Portmeirion is a vacation fantasy village in North Wales neatly hidden away on the coast of the Irish Sea. It was designed and built piecemeal by Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village. He was a leading conservationist of his day who, as creator of this resort village, fulfilled his dream for "a fusion of conscious art with nature". Portmeirion has served as the location for several films and television shows, most famously as the "Village".

Ninety-minutes due west from Ruthin we found Portmeirion neatly hidden away on a secluded peninsula. Anne got in free because the place was not supposed to be suitable for the disabled. The journey from the ticket booth to the end of the village was all downhill, but the ticket clerk said he would drive us back if we couldn’t make it. We did just fine.

The same could not be said for the unnamed protagonist of The Prisoner, so aptly played by Patrick McGoohan. In the plot he is a high-ranking intelligence agent who unexpectedly resigns. Upon doing so, he is drugged and taken into a mysterious and isolated community known only as “the Village.” Everyone there is cheerful, but not the type to ask questions, and the shadowy leaders keep control with closed-circuit television and brainwashing devices. The protagonist is made into a prisoner and given the title of “Number Six,” which he fervently rejects at first. In each episode, he matches wits with Number Two, who always wants to know the same thing: “Why did you resign?” It is only a question then of seeing who breaks first, the individualist Number Six or the conformist Villagers.

In its one-season run, The Prisoner created an enduring phenomenon, partly because it remains open to continual reinterpretation, partly because Number Six's symbolic battle against faceless state power is as potent today as when the show was first devised. The series was also greatly helped by its location at Portmeirion, with its bizarre jumble of architectural styles. To this day, the "Six of One" Prisoner Appreciation Society still holds its annual Prisoner convention there.

We visited The Prisoner Shop for souvenirs and a map. The shop's operator would have been a Trekkie had the show been Star Trek; he knew more about The Prisoner than anyone had a right to know. He said Prisoner fans by the hundreds still make the pilgrimage to this surreal spot to relive scenes from the series’ baffling story. But even if you had never seen the show, Portmeirion was an intriguing place to visit.

The tourist-oriented Llechwedd Slate Mine had already closed by the time we got there. Anne, nevertheless, said she'd already seen the abandoned slate mine back in her hometown of Walton, New York; she'd never, however, seen anything like Portmeirion!

Author Patrick Simpson and his wheelchair-restricted wife Anne uncover their experiences exploring historical and cultural experiences around the world. Visit now to learn how independent travel for disabled persons is not only possible, it can be fun!! www.booksbypatricksimpson.com