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Autistic 10-year-old excels in academics, not socially
By ANNA SCHUMANN
Ten-year-old Michael Garcia won his school’s geography bee last year, got a perfect score on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test, and in second grade got a blue ribbon in a city-wide art contest.
His IQ is 155 but he’s classified under the special needs umbrella in his Magnolia school.
Michelle Worthy, Garcia’s mother, said her son has Asperger’s Syndrome, which is considered to be a higher-functioning form of autism.
As a result of the syndrome, Garcia doesn’t have the same social skills as his peers.
Worthy said it was brought to her attention when her son was in day care that he was aggressive and didn’t interact with other children. The fact that he’s still this way, Worthy said, leads to misconceptions about her son.
“He’s very loving and affectionate,” she said. “It’s not that he doesn’t need love or want love, it’s just that his mind works differently.”
It’s the gap between Garcia’s performance and his intelligence that leads to the special needs classification.
“For kids in his situation, there’s just not a good place for them,” Worthy said. “The alternative is putting him with lower-functioning children and that’s not good for his academics.”
Garcia is in the gifted and talented program in a mainstream class at Nichols-Sawmill Elementary School in Magnolia, and so far it seems to be working well for him, Worthy said. She said the staff there has been great and shown compassion for him.
Garcia is one of the 76 students in Magnolia Independent School District who is classified under the autistic spectrum. Tomball Independent School District has 75 students who fall into this category.
Worthy said she hopes school administrators, teachers, doctors and parents of children on the autistic spectrum can learn more about children like Garcia and educate themselves on the disorder.
An upcoming conference in Tomball aims to do just that.
Michelle Guppy, president of the northwest Houston chapter of Autism Society of America, is one of the organizers of the fourth annual conference that features a resource fair for parents and children, and seminars for doctors, school administrators and parents.
The conference is Friday, Oct. 3 and Sunday, Oct. 4 at Graceview Baptist Church in Tomball.
Guppy, the mother of an autistic child, said she wanted to host a conference in the Tomball area because in the past, most of the resources available to parents have been in the downtown Houston area and for many parents, that’s too far to drive.
Guppy said the conference speakers and resources will cover the three major life areas that concern families: biomedical, services delivery and guardianship.
“This shows parents how they can be better advocates for their children,” she said. “No one gives information booklets to parents when their children are diagnosed.”
Keynote addresses at the conference include information about special education, estate and financial planning, guardianship and customized employment. There will also be a “Medicaid Waiver Boot Camp.”
“No one’s saying come to this conference and your child will be cured,” Guppy said. “But come to this and help your child be the best they can be.”
Northwest Houston Autism Society of America Conference
What: A chance for parents, medical professionals and educators to gain information on autism
When: Friday, Oct. 3 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Oct. 4 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Resource fair is Oct. 4 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Graceview Baptist Church, 25510 Tomball Parkway, Tomball, TX
How: Register at the door. For more information, e-mail NorthwestHoustonChapterASA@yahoo.com or call NWASA at (281) 686-0103
Cost: $40 per person, but scholarship assistance may be available by contacting the NWASA
His IQ is 155 but he’s classified under the special needs umbrella in his Magnolia school.
Michelle Worthy, Garcia’s mother, said her son has Asperger’s Syndrome, which is considered to be a higher-functioning form of autism.
As a result of the syndrome, Garcia doesn’t have the same social skills as his peers.
Worthy said it was brought to her attention when her son was in day care that he was aggressive and didn’t interact with other children. The fact that he’s still this way, Worthy said, leads to misconceptions about her son.
“He’s very loving and affectionate,” she said. “It’s not that he doesn’t need love or want love, it’s just that his mind works differently.”
It’s the gap between Garcia’s performance and his intelligence that leads to the special needs classification.
“For kids in his situation, there’s just not a good place for them,” Worthy said. “The alternative is putting him with lower-functioning children and that’s not good for his academics.”
Garcia is in the gifted and talented program in a mainstream class at Nichols-Sawmill Elementary School in Magnolia, and so far it seems to be working well for him, Worthy said. She said the staff there has been great and shown compassion for him.
Garcia is one of the 76 students in Magnolia Independent School District who is classified under the autistic spectrum. Tomball Independent School District has 75 students who fall into this category.
Worthy said she hopes school administrators, teachers, doctors and parents of children on the autistic spectrum can learn more about children like Garcia and educate themselves on the disorder.
An upcoming conference in Tomball aims to do just that.
Michelle Guppy, president of the northwest Houston chapter of Autism Society of America, is one of the organizers of the fourth annual conference that features a resource fair for parents and children, and seminars for doctors, school administrators and parents.
The conference is Friday, Oct. 3 and Sunday, Oct. 4 at Graceview Baptist Church in Tomball.
Guppy, the mother of an autistic child, said she wanted to host a conference in the Tomball area because in the past, most of the resources available to parents have been in the downtown Houston area and for many parents, that’s too far to drive.
Guppy said the conference speakers and resources will cover the three major life areas that concern families: biomedical, services delivery and guardianship.
“This shows parents how they can be better advocates for their children,” she said. “No one gives information booklets to parents when their children are diagnosed.”
Keynote addresses at the conference include information about special education, estate and financial planning, guardianship and customized employment. There will also be a “Medicaid Waiver Boot Camp.”
“No one’s saying come to this conference and your child will be cured,” Guppy said. “But come to this and help your child be the best they can be.”
Northwest Houston Autism Society of America Conference
What: A chance for parents, medical professionals and educators to gain information on autism
When: Friday, Oct. 3 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Oct. 4 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Resource fair is Oct. 4 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Graceview Baptist Church, 25510 Tomball Parkway, Tomball, TX
How: Register at the door. For more information, e-mail NorthwestHoustonChapterASA@yahoo.com or call NWASA at (281) 686-0103
Cost: $40 per person, but scholarship assistance may be available by contacting the NWASA
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