Tenafly dad driving to boost autism awareness
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
TENAFLY - If all goes
as planned, 6-year-old Rebecca Singer will be in a new school next year.
But first, Rebecca
and her father will drive cross-country to raise money to establish the school,
which will serve children with autism.
"We have a lot
of things in place, but there is still a lot of work to do,'' said
Rebecca's father, who
is starting from scratch to realize his dream of a special school for his
daughter. "First
and foremost, we've got to raise the money.''
On Aug. 29, Singer
will set out with his little girl, who has autistic tendencies, on a 3,500-mile
trip from
corporate donations.
"The Drive for Rebecca'' will not only raise funds for The School for Better
Living that Singer
and his wife, Michey, plan to open in
designed to increase
awareness of autism and to promote advanced medical and educational research.
"I'm so
convinced that the educational part is so critical,'' Singer said. "Some
of these medical
research
organizations are convinced they are going to find a cure in a few years, and
that's great.
But the educational
stuff is making a difference now."
Autism is a lifelong
disability that affects communication, social and life skills development. At
least one in every
500 Americans is affected by some form of autism, according to the National
Institutes of Health.
The cause of autism is not known and there is no cure.
It's a condition that
is diagnosed at a very young age. Autistic children are often withdrawn and
may obsessively
repeat body motions such as rocking, pacing, tapping their hands, or flapping
their hands and arms.
Most people with autism require lifelong supervision.
When Rebecca was
seven months old, her parents noticed something was not right. She was not
meeting developmental
milestones.
"When we saw her
with other kids her age, we knew something was up,'' Singer recalled.
The Singers took
Rebecca to doctors in
but they recommended physical, occupational, and
speech therapy. Several months later, doctors
ordered genetic testing, which showed that Rebecca
had a rare chromosomal abnormality seen in
fewer than 100 people worldwide. Singer said there
is no name for the syndrome.
"It was
incredibly overwhelming, and we were shocked,'' he said.
When Rebecca was 4
years old, the Singers spoke to a psychologist who said their daughter had
autistic tendencies. They placed Rebecca in a day
program at the
But the Singers
wanted a more individualized curriculum with more one-on-one lessons.
Their search led them
to several schools, including The Alpine Learning Group in
The Institute for
Educational Achievement in
referral list or long waiting lists.
A need for programs
Linda Meyer,
executive director of The Alpine Learning Group, said her school does not have
a
waiting list but that there are more than 400 people
interested in it.
"Quality
programs, effective programs, are needed desperately,'' Meyer said. "Parents who have
children diagnosed with autism need to shop around for
a school, and what they find is that most
spots are filled.''
With that in mind,
Rebecca's parents decided that they would try to establish their own school.
"We realized
after our research that good schools were started by parents, and we thought we
had
to go that route,'' said Michey
Singer.
The School for Better
Living is scheduled to open in January or February. With preliminary approval
from the state Department of Education, the
Singers are working on a budget and curriculum with the
help of several friends and the community. Those
must also be submitted to the state.
During its first
year, the school will serve six children, but will eventually educate 25 to 30
students.
The school, which is
still without a building or location, will focus primarily on teaching students
through the method of "applied behavioral
analysis.'' Every child will have a one-on-one assistant
to focus on "functional life skills'' to
help youngsters to interact with their family and community.
For instance, if a child
is going to an amusement park, the school will help the youngster learn how
to wait in line as well as handle crowds.
"That is stuff
that can be used in real life,'' Singer said. "It's
not just about stretching their legs and
having them sit on a ball and bounce. They'll do
some of that stuff too, but everything they do will
be focused on life and real-life stuff.''
Rebecca has severe
autistic tendencies. She does not speak, she often bangs on things, and she
learns
only through constant repetition.
But she has made
significant strides in the last year, according to her parents and baby
sitters. She
recently learned to point and is now able to use a
picture-based communication system, which allows
her to push buttons when she wants something to
eat or drink.
"Every time she
learns something new I get so happy that I want to cry,'' said baby sitter
Marissa Stein.
She's seen Rebecca
progress to a point where the 6-year-old can now pull up her pants after going
to the
bathroom. "It may be something small, but it's
such a huge thing.''
During the 10-day
road trip to
the family will be met by local Girl Scout troops
who will join them for special celebrations for Rebecca,
who is already a Girl Scout.
Singer said to start
the school he will need about $1,000,000.
For more information
about the school or the fund-raising efforts, visit the Singers' Web site at
www.DriveForRebecca.org. Monsy Alvarado's e-mail address is alvarado@northjersey.com
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