two nice stories for today (autism)

(from the Schafer Report)

2002 Virginia State Chess Championship

[“My son, Jack, was diagnosed by Dr. Mary Megson with autism when he was 2 years old and did not speak,” say Jack’s Dad, Bill Barrow, on the SJU Autism list. “He has come a long way since then. Just some bragging on my part — and to let some of the new people know that one never knows for sure what the outcome will be for a young child.”]

The 2002 Virginia State Chess Championship was held over the Labor Day weekend at Charlottesville Virginia.

Sixty-seven players competed in the Amateur Section. Along with the seasoned adult players there were a few serious high school and middle school players. With a score of five wins and one draw with the top rated player, William J. Barrow won First Place and the title “2002 Virginia State Amateur Champion”. This is quite an achievement as Jack Barrow is an eighth grader at Swift Creek Middle School in Chesterfield County. He is undoubtedly one of the youngest state champions that Virginia has ever had.

* * *

Autistic Teen Shows A Flair For The Snare

[By Karen Mahabir in The Record.]
http://www.bergen.com/page.php?level_3_id=7&page=4718698

Bergenfield - Fred’s time had come.

A crowd of about 200 music students, parents, and teachers was silent and waiting. As he walked alone to the front of the room to take his position at the kettle drum set, his pulse beat a bit faster.

He had practiced the music every day for a month, tapping drumsticks on counter tops and tables at home in hopes of winning the Bergenfield summer music workshop’s highest honor - the “Superstar” award.

Like many autistic teenagers, Fred is not always at ease among large groups.

But on that July night, when it was finally his turn to perform, he pounded on the three drums, crisscrossing his sticks with precision to thunderous applause.

“People were yelling, ‘Great job, Fred!’ … And all the teachers gave me high-fives and congratulated me,” he said recently, smiling with his head bowed. “I practiced a lot; I always wanted it.”

It was the first time in more than a decade that a student in the district has been given the Superstar award for mastering percussion instruments, said Supervisor of Music Stratos Mandalakis.

“Of our students, he has one of the highest levels of aptitude.
Usually the first time he hears it, he’ll play it or sing it,” said
Mandalakis. “His abilities, musically, are really amazing.”

Fred Stein Smith is in many ways a typical 16-year-old. He’s a B student at Bergenfield High School, where he will start his junior year next week. He likes to shoot hoops with his two younger brothers, take long walks, and play video games. And he’s a fan of “Lord of the Rings.”

But, like one of every 500 Americans, Fred is autistic. He has difficulty interacting with his peers and processing language. Yet it in a world filled with tempo and melody, he excels.

“He’s really good. All you have to do is show it to him once,”
Fred’s friend John Miano said as they worked together recently on the snare drum. “And he gets it. That’s it.”

A piano player since childhood, Fred also plays several
Percussion instruments and is considering the guitar.

For two years he has been a member of the school’s symphonic band, and this year will join concert band. He’s also a member of the marching band, which has allowed him to express himself musically as well as socially.

“It’s opened his social possibilities,” Mandalakis said. “And he’s really a team player. He’s been able to be with students and adults that have become a support system in which he’s really functioned very well.” Fred also sings bass for the school’s choir and dreams of singing at Lincoln Center.

Fred’s parents, Fred and Kathleen Smith, fondly refer to a community of friends and teachers as “Freddie’s Friends” for helping their son. And they believe he has learned the value of assisting others. He helps with the children’s liturgy at St. John the Evangelist Church and teaches kids to play chess.

“I feel happy when I help out,” Fred said from his living room, where his many music and community awards were displayed on a coffee table. “And it feels great for me to play. It feels great for me to do my own thing.”