Mental health awareness: Pottsville Area graduate with ASD learning to manage illness

May 23--Editor's note: As part of National Mental Health Awareness Month, The Republican-Herald interviewed Schuylkill County residents affected by mental illnesses and is publishing a series of articles detailing their struggles and how they manage each day. The goal is to raise awareness about mental health.

Just as every person is different, so is the way autism affects them.

"If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism," Joan Kitsock, who has a son with an autism spectrum disorder, said Tuesday.

That is a quote from Dr. Stephen Shore, author of "Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome."

Autism spectrum disorder refers to a group of developmental disorders, according to the National Institute of Mental Health at www.nimh.nih.gov. It includes a wide range, or a "spectrum," of symptoms, skills and levels of disability.

Common symptoms include difficulty with communication, difficulty with social interactions, obsessive interests and repetitive behaviors.

About 1 in 68 children have been identified with some form of ASD, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

"If you put 100 children with autism together, no two would be the same," Kitsock said. "There is such a wide range."

Kitsock's son, James, was diagnosed with ASD when he was 5. Joan said early speech and language evaluations hinted at autism.

"He was born slightly early and we knew he had a hearing loss and was slow to talk," Joan said.

James went to school at Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 where he had three aides work closely with him, she said. After third grade, he went to John S. Clarke Elementary Center and graduated from Pottsville Area High School in 2011.

"Academically, he did fairly well," Joan said. "Sometimes I don't think he understands his limitations, but he is easy to work with."

Joan was a teacher at D.H.H. Lengel Middle School until she retired in 2013.

"It was fortunate that when he was in the district, I was readily available if there were any issues," Joan said.

James was also an athlete. He started playing football in seventh grade and continued through high school, where he also ran track and was manager for the basketball team. Joan remembered when her son first joined the football team.

"I was surprised," Joan said. "He wasn't very big."

But James was certainly not afraid of getting hit.

"I was never afraid of contact by any means," James said.

"He never missed a practice," Joan said. "I think he was just happy to wear a uniform and be part of the team."

Joan said he would often amaze his teammates and coaches with his impressive football knowledge. Not only does he know the winner of every Super Bowl, but he knows every final score, MVP, the jerseys each team wore and other details from the game.

His favorite player is Dan Marino, a Pittsburgh native and quarterback for the Miami Dolphins from 1983 to 1999.

"He had that quick release for a quarterback and his arm is what confused the opposing defenses," James said.

Joan said that her son felt at home while at school thanks in part to the support of his teammates.

"They looked out for him and took care of him," she said.

In his senior year, Joan said that James expressed interest in returning to the school to work because he felt secure there. Now 24 years old, James spends a few days a week at the district's different buildings to assist teachers and administrators or work in the library. James spends the other days of the week at Hidden River Clubhouse, a community center in Pottsville for adults with mental illness.

"After high school, even though he had a job, there was a hole there," Joan said. "He was very busy in high school. That hole was difficult to fill. That's why Hidden River is so important to him. It gives him a sense of purpose, a place to go and things to do."

Sports still remain to be a part of her son's life as James goes to many Crimson Tide football and basketball games.

Joan said she was concerned that the same level of services that were available to James in school would not be there after he graduated. However, she said there are many local agencies providing those services, like Service Access and Management, Pottsville, and Allied Services, Pottsville.

"Find out what services are available early if you suspect your child may be autistic," she said. "Now there is more awareness than there has been. I think because people with autism are all different, not everyone understands the situation and if people don't understand something, they are often afraid of it. But there are a lot of people who do understand."

As James continues to learn how to manage his illness, his experience as coach for the occasional students versus faculty basketball game at the high school seems to giving him some insight into strategy and accepting limitations.

"Everyone gets time," he said. "But it needs to be done the right way in order to win."

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