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Autism Society gets shot in the arm thanks to local school
Amherstburg Public School does fundraising
By Echo Staff
Thursday May 08, 2008
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Joshua Couch and his Grade 2 classmates along with family and friends helped their school raise money for autism.
(Photo: Ron Giofu/The Amherstburg Echo)
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AMHERSTBURG -- Toonies for Autism was celebrated at Amherstburg Public School with students helping to raise $330 for the Autism Society Ontario Windsor Chapter.
Students paid $2 and were allowed to wear a hat for the day as part of the fundraising event. Janice Taylor, whose eight-year-old son Joshua Couch is autistic, pointed out that the highest rate of autism in Ontario is in the Windsor-Essex County area adding that there are roughly four students in the 500 student school alone with autism.
Taylor said that autism is often misunderstood as there are varying degrees of the affliction. She said her son, currently in Grade 2 at Amherstburg Public School, was non-verbal for a long time before finally becoming verbal.
"All of a sudden, he blossomed," she said.
April was Autism Awareness Month and money raised by the school will go to the Together for Autism Campaign.
"This is a province-wide campaign that helps spread the word and understanding of autism and Asperger's disorders while raising funds for research," she said.
Taylor said her son once told her "I'm not autistic, I'm optimistic" noting he has a positive attitude. She said she has also reached out to other schools such as Western Secondary School to try and raise funds for autism as well.
"Early intervention is the key," added Jody Beaudette, Taylor's sister. "There's not a lot of awareness about it at all."
Taylor said two years at Karate International helped as well as it helped with Joshua's social skills and behaviour.
"That was a big thing for Josh," she said.
Even with autism, Joshua excels at reading and has written several stories.
"I love reading and I like writing stories," he said.
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