In the past decade, autism awareness has grown by leaps and bounds.

For mothers like Michelle Bugg, whose second grade son Logan is autistic, awareness has been a long time coming and there’s work still left to be done.

April is ‘Autism Awareness’ month and, for Bugg, a time when more people can learn about a disorder that for years left many in the dark, including herself.

“Everything was normal until he got around 15 to 18 months old,” Bugg said. “I started noticing a regression. He stopped talking and making eye contact, and it really scared me. I was told he was a boy and they develop later than usual. Looking back, I wished I had videotaped his behavior.”

Once Logan’s development basically stopped, Bugg was told it was due to a variety of reasons by doctors, but nothing proved correct. Unlike 10 years ago, pediatricians are more aware of the warning signs and can diagnose autism much sooner than before. But the system is still far from perfect.

“We still have occasions where children show up and they have never been identified,” said Karen Sylvester, TCS’ exceptional children director. “I don’t think there’s an understanding of autism, for one. We have a unique group of individuals that we have to meet their needs. We’re there to support them.”

In the past two years, Logan has made a lot of progress at Thomasville Primary School, such as saying words and spending time in a normal classroom environment. Bugg credits the TPS staff as the reason for her son’s improvement, and due to the financial difficulties of treating autism, she relies on that support heavily.

“This is our only outlet,” Bugg said. “That’s how important this system is to us. If it wasn’t for that, maybe my son wouldn’t be talking.”

There are currently 13 autistic students in TCS — 12 boys and one girl. Statistics show that one out of every 110 students are autistic, and in North Carolina, the number is one out of 97. Four boys to every one girl are diagnosed with autism. Sylvester said TCS receives funding for special needs children, but there’s not extra money available for autism. Being that TCS only has around 2,600 students, available resources tend to be smaller than larger school systems.

“With our 13 autistic children, they tend to need more than the average child with a disability because of the unique characteristics they display in a school setting,” Sylvester said. “This is a learning process and each child with autism displays the symptoms differently. We as educators have to adapt what we do for every single child to see that they’re successful. The reason for Logan’s success comes from all of us working together.”

Students can have autism and still succeed in the school system. Last year, Thomasville High School graduated its first autistic student, and while he will have special needs for the rest of his life, Sylvester said he is out in the community and can still be a productive member of society.

Bugg would like more communication between teachers and parents of autistic children so that both parties can work together and gain a better understanding of each child’s specific needs. In the end, increasing awareness is the key message.

“Word of mouth is the best way to get the message across,” said Bugg. “I can’t get it across that it’s not bad parenting or anything like that. We really don’t to this day know what causes autism. I think it’s a lot of things. It’s never-ending grief.”

Sylvester said it’s important to keep autistic children in a normal classroom and not in a separate setting because she feels learning from peers in a social environment is key to their development, both short and long term.

“We don’t want to write anyone off,” Sylvester said. “If we put them in a separate setting room, especially in our district, a lot of the kids are low functioning and don’t have verbal skills. How can we give them the skills they need if they’re not around others kids?”

Autism is a neural development disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, accompanied by restricted and repetitive behavior.

Staff Writer Eliot Duke can be reached at 888-3578, or duke@tvilletimes.com.