Warning signs are increasingly common

THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE

By Alex Rickert and Jill Campbell

Autism Awareness Month begins in April

As we enter Autism Awareness Month in April, Keys Weekly is proud to partner with the Autism Society of the Keys (ASK) to bring our readers critical information about autism. Check back each week during the month to learn more about community initiatives throughout the Keys intended to raise awareness and support for such a complex disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a condition with a staggering growth in diagnosis. According to the CDC, autism rates have increased from 1 in 150 children in the year 2000 to the current rate of 1 in 44 children. With more than 2% of children falling somewhere on the disorder’s spectrum, the importance of recognizing early signs of ASD has never been greater.

Autism is typically diagnosed when a child is around 18 months old, but children can also be diagnosed later in life depending on the severity of their ASD. Early intervention is key, and there are many therapies and resources available for children.

Here are a few of the most common early warning signs of autism. A single one of these characteristics is not a sure indicator of autism, but if a parent notices multiple signs, they are advised to consult their pediatrician or contact the Autism Society of the Keys for further guidance.

The Top 15 Autism “Red Flags”

Children with autism may…

1. Avoid or have difficulty keeping eye contact.

2. Be overly sensitive or not sensitive at all to stimuli such as light, sounds, smells, textures or touch.

3. Have trouble transitioning from one activity to another or deviating from an established routine, order or ritual.

4. Line up toys rather than playing with them, or play with parts of a toy rather than the entire toy.

5. Exhibit a lack of speech development, or lose language milestones.

6. Display a lack of social engagement or desire to play with other children.

7. Walk on their tiptoes for extended periods.

8. Display “stimming,” defined as repetitive or unusual movements such as hand flaps, in excited situations or to self-regulate when they are overwhelmed.

9. Be less likely to point at objects they want or at objects or events a parent is looking at or pointing to.

10. Have a generally obsessive, narrowed or restricted interest.

11. Repeat words, activities or movements, often without understanding their meaning.

12. Rock, sway or spin their bodies repetitively.

13. Not respond when they hear their name called, and may not like to be photographed.

14. Display unusual eating or sleeping habits.

15. Have difficulty understanding other people’s feelings and deriving meaning from facial expressions and body language. ASK is a local nonprofit organization established in 2009. The organization works with children and families throughout the Florida Keys to provide help and assistance. It offers support meetings, educational speakers, family socials, sensory boxes and training. More information is available from Jill Campbell, founder and executive director, at 305-942-5172 or via email to autismsocietyofthekeys@gmail. com.

HELPING SURVIVORS BEGIN AGAIN

Domestic Abuse Shelter begins fundraising rampup to rebuild its Marathon campus

ALEX RICKERT

alex@keysweekly.com It’s been a long and slow road to rebuild, literally and figuratively, for the Domestic Abuse Shelter.

Since 1983, the nonprofit organization has served all of Monroe County in an effort to provide emergency shelter and support for adults and children suffering from domestic violence. The private group is the only state-certified domestic violence center in Monroe County with specific services for victims of domestic violence. Its routine offerings include, but are not limited to, emergency food and clothing, transportation, legal advocacy, crisis counseling and financial assistance.

For years, the group operated with two shelters: its main 25-bed facility in Marathon, along with a smaller 15-bed shelter in the Lower Keys. When Hurricane Irma ripped through the Middle Keys in 2017, however, the larger shelter was torn apart, leaving only the smaller Lower Keys shelter to serve the entire county.

“The structure was unusable,” said DAS board president Jennifer Powell. “You could see daylight through the cracks in the concrete supports.”

Insurance payments were enough to cover the DAS’ outstanding mortgage. But once the building was razed and the shelter site was cleared, the remaining funds were nowhere near sufficient to raise a new building.

In the years since, DAS has managed to raise about $500,000, including significant contributions from Leadership Monroe County and the Holly Given Fund. Powell and DAS executive director Sheryl Schwab said that competing with other large capital fundraisers in Marathon such as the Fishermen’s Community Hospital campaign has understandably slowed the shelter’s efforts. Meanwhile, state funding proves inadequate to grow the organization’s offerings.

A $2.5 million funding request for Monroe County’s DAS approved by Florida’s House and Senate appropriations committees made its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk for the state’s 2022-2023 budget, but the funds were absent in the final version of the $112 billion budget approved earlier this month.

Schwab and Powell also acknowledge that the shelter is still partially rebuilding its image after a brief suspension of its certification in 2016 by the state Department of Children and Families. Now recertified, one of the organization’s biggest struggles is starting a conversation about fundraising for a topic most would rather avoid. “People don’t want to admit it or talk about it,” said Powell. “It’s uncomfortable and messy for the survivors, so it’s very hard to get a face to come up and say, ‘I’m here today because these people were here for me.’”

Lexi Bourcier is one of those courageous individuals. As a new DAS board member and survivor of domestic violence, she is uniquely qualified to speak on the importance of the shelter’s services. “I was once that scared woman coming out of a situation with two young children,” she said. “You don’t really want to reach out for help, and you almost have this sense of shame. When the shelter offers that help without you having to ask, it makes it easier on the survivors. You have a sense of security having advocates who are strictly on your side.”

Donations to the shelter range from funding something as simple as a $50 pizza and movie night for a child to sponsoring entire rooms in the new Marathon shelter facility, which the organization hopes to build by 2023.

“We’ve recently entered a partnership with the National Development Institute to develop a five-year comprehensive campaign to rebuild the Middle Keys shelter, grow operations and serve more victims throughout the Keys,” said Schwab. High-priority additional programming will include financial education initiatives, rental assistance for victims ready to leave the shelter and teen prevention programs.

For more information or to discuss donations, contact Powell at 484-2557785 or Schwab at 305-240-0073, or visit www.domesticabuseshelter.org. As always, anyone suffering from any form of domestic violence or in need of confidential support is encouraged to call the shelter’s 24-hour hotline at 305-743-4440.