PAGE 8, Tuesday, May 11, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
BODY AND MIND
THE EVANS family
Raising an autistic child By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
At around 18-months-old, Tamara Evans noticed her son Shervin Evans was not developing in the way he should. He could only hold poor eye contact, seemed afraid of crowds and loud noises like laughing and clapping, his speech was not developing compared to his older sisters when they were his age, and he seemed distant and not connecting socially. As Shervin began growing, her concerns became more prevalent, and Tamara sought out the advice of a specialist who conducted various tests on her son. At age four, they got the official diagnosis: autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD refers to a broad range of conditions characterised by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech, and nonverbal communication. The prevalence of this disorder is also growing steadily in the Bahamas. Caring for an autistic child brings its fair share of challenges withit, and Tamara feels stories like hers need to be shared in hopes so they can help others who may have concerns over their child’s development. “We started with a referral to a neurologist. The neurologist did a slew of tests including a CT scan of the brain
and electroencephalogram (EEG) to rule out anything physical or abnormal with the brain. Once those tests came out clean, he referred us to a psychologist who did another slew of tests which confirmed ASD,” she explained. Prior to this experience, Tamara had never directly dealt with the subject of autism. Nevertheless, she immediately sprang into action to help her son in any way possible. “Immediately upon diagnosis we ramped up speech therapy sessions. We had engaged a speech therapist before we had a diagnosis due to his speech delay. We also started occupational therapy, placed him in a special school with an autism unit, and got him into extracurricular activities such as swimming and soccer to help with his socialisation skills,” she said. Shervin, who is now 10 years old, has made tremendous progress since his initial diagnosis. He can sit in crowds and hear loud laughing and clapping with no sensory overload. His eye contact has improved. He is able to speak in sentences and now able to respond better to ‘who, what, where’ questions more clearly than he did three years ago. He can put on and take off his clothing on his own and prepare food he likes, including pizza. He writes in cursive and is now learning to add and subtract by regrouping three place values.”
“We knew that no matter what his behaviour was like, we were not going to keep him at home. We move as a family unit, and we dealt with the various changes and stages as a family in various environments.”
Getting their son the treatment he needed meant the Evans family had to make some major readjustments in their lives. “We got very busy. It was speech therapy and occupational therapy twice a week, follow-up visits with the neurologist and psychologist, extra classes and extracurricular activities. There was no time to delay, we thought. We understood early that if we worked on his plan of care aggressively, his chances of improving his speech (receptive and conversational) while balancing his
childhood needs would bode well for a successful outcome. Tamera and her husband worked as a team and include their daughter in the entire process. She said they were very active, so it was easy to include some of Shervin’s social skill building activities around their activities,” she said. The family also had to make certain sacrifices. “It was sometimes difficult because it meant him being in crowds and us having to sit away from the noise at times. It meant sitting outside the door at a movie theatre with him as the girls watched a movie, or finding a spot outside a sporting event to have him engaged for hours while they competed, or sitting in the foyer at church so he can roll his Play Doh during service,” she said. “We knew that no matter what his behaviour was like, we were not going to keep him at home. We move as a family unit, and we dealt with the various changes and stages as a family in various environments, and today we no longer have those issues. We’ve become more patient in the process and our faith has increased.” Tamara said she is more than happy to see how her son has developed inspite of his challenges. She is also grateful for the community of people who stepped up to the plate and positively
impacted Shervin, helping shape his growth and development. “If you ask Shervin what he wants to be when he grows up, he will say, ‘a scientist’. We continue with speech therapy twice a week, help him meet his educational goals through special education, keep him engaged in activities that will help him develop spiritually, physically, and emotionally to help him become that scientist he wants to be. His dad and I are also looking at the Gentlemen’s Club as a possible addition to his plan of care for socialisation and some graphic design classes since he loves to create words with Play Doh and 3D modelling,” she said. As for parents and families who may need some encouragement on their journey, she had this advice to share: “Do not let fear paralyse you from getting the help you need for your child. Do not allow anyone to dictate or tell you that your child cannot or will not. Start with your paediatrician or a healthcare professional. Seek wise counsel and support. Do not let a diagnosis predict the outcome. Read up on symptoms and go with your gut instinct...we can tell when something is not right. Respond like Jochebed, Moses’s mother, and do not allow the ‘proclamation’ to determine your child’s future.”
Perri stays positive in face of lupus diagnosis By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net
Perri Charlton was just in high school when she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease lupus. Since then, she has had to navigate life with a chronic disease that often leaves her painful and weakened. Despite the challenges, however, her spirit remains strong. “In 2018, I started feeling bad. I was having hives and swelling all over my body. I took a blood test and the very next day I had to be hospitalised to have an emergency kidney biopsy because I
had kidney problems,” she told Tribune Health. Although the diagnosis came as a shock to her, she was familiar with lupus. “I had heard about lupus before because my sister was diagnosed with it,” said Perri. “Surprisingly, when I got the diagnosis, I was calm.” It is a disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks your own tissues and organs. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems — including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs. Since the diagnosis, she has had her fair share of challenges,
including having to undergo chemotherapy to help keep her symptoms manageable. “I am feeling good, I think my last flare-up was last month and I have been able to stop my chemotherapy treatments,” she said. Perri said having a positive outlook helps to counter the bad days associated with having a chronic illness. “I personally do things to take my mind off my health challenges,” she said. “I try to smile and laugh rather than focus on the negative, because if you focus on the negative it can affect your body as well. I have danced all my life. I dance at church, and as you know,
lupus can affect your bones, and so I had an accident and I had to wear crutches, and even though I am off the crutches, I still have to be very careful when I dance, but I just focus on the fact that I can still dance . Another area she draws support from is being a member of the Lupus 242 group. It is a non-profitsupport group that aims to provide support and information for individuals in the Bahamas living with lupus. Their goals include increasing awareness and supporting global research efforts to find a cure for lupus. “Lupus 242 has helped me so much; just having people who
know what you are going through and know what you mean when you say that you are feeling a pain. Because sometimes people will say, ‘Oh, is it really as bad as you say?’” Perri added that people need to be sensitive to the needs of people who are living with a chronic illness. “Please just be positive in what you say, you don’t need to say, ‘Oh, this is a death sentence, or tell me about people who died.’ Just keep encouraging me because you know I am going through something. That is the best way to be helpful.” The month of May is observed as Lupus Awareness Month.