Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 25, 2011)
8 street roots Nov. 25, 2011 9 street roots Nov. 25, 2011 ASPERGERS fro m page 7 A t right: W illie creating a movie Set. “A lot o f people go to school, go to college, an d they get out an d they get a job where they are sittin g in a big office somewhere with a lot o f people around them, working a t a desk in a little cubicle, an d hating it. A n d that’s not som ething that you would be good a t,” Tobi says to her son Willie. “B u t that's not something I would want you to do anyhow. You’ll be m uch better o ff follow ing your dreams, which are to be a film m aker, an d being creative an d doing interesting stuff. ” Below: H ugs are a regular p art o f the day in the Rates household. “We’re a happy group here, ” says Willie’s dad Dale. “We have group hugs, actually we have a fam ily hug time. I t ’s not like it’s scheduled, it ju st happens. Very few things are scheduled around here, actually. ” “In comparison to my last school, i t ’s a paradise, ” say Willie. “You can customize your own schedule. You actually get to say whatever you want.” P lu s they don ’t look twice a t his headdress, he notes. A nd, Willie says, Q uadrupedalism is allowed,” m eaning he can walk on a ll fours. “They’re m uch nicer a t Pacific Crest, an d there are a lot less kids so I d on ’t have to make as many frien d s to be p opu lar a t the school. I now think I ’m the kin d o f guy who has a lot o f friends, says Willie, though he eats his lunch alone. M any people who have Asperger’s have difficulty interacting socially. In 2010 the Oregon Departm ent o f E ducation reported a 6 percent increase in the num ber o f children with autism from the previous school year with 7,300 children with a diagnosis o f autism in Oregon public schools. A t Bottom: Willie plays ball with h is brother Jacob, who is helped by his aide. Jacob is profoundly autistic an d fo r the most part, nonverbal, though he can sign some words. D ale looks a t his boys an d says, “These boys; sam e dad, sam e mom, sam e delivery room, sam e hospital, sam e nurse, sam e delivery doctor, they grew up together. Diagnosis-wise, they couldn ’t be any more different. They look alike, you know, they are brothers, but, you know, this is the whole thing o f ‘show me one kid with autism , and I ’ll show you one kid with au tism .’ Jacob needs a school with a lot o f aides. Jacob needs supervision around the house. Jacob needs to have a latch on his door a t night. H e can ’t say, ‘H i, my nam e is Jacob,’ or ‘I live down the street,’ that’s not his world. B u t he can get out the fron t door or the back door an d down the street he goes.” naj, Above: In A pril, A u tism Awareness month, W illie attends the 9th A n n u a l A utism Walk-A-Thon a t Oaks Park which draws record num bers every year as awareness an d acceptance increases. D ale marvels a t the changes tim e has brought, “In my day, in the 60s, there was one description, or two descriptions, really: retarded or normal. Now it ’s not a shame. I t ’s everywhere. We’re a ll a little weird everywhere you look. Everyone’s got a quirk, or a strange little thing. A n d that’s O K . T h a t’s what makes us unique. Otherwise we’re ju s t robots an d rocks.” A n avid stop motion film m aker, W illie has m ade more than 12 0 movies through h is production company, K h A n u b is Productions, which he promotes through a blog (khanubis.blogspot.com/), a Web site khanubisproductions.weebly.com, an d Youtube. H is film topics usually center on ancient R om e an d Egypt, with Playm obil figures taking the staring roles. H is latest piece, “Dr. Tyrannus’ Revenge,” is complete with Germ an Subtitles. Above top: D u rin g math class, W illie’s notebook fills up with drawings rather than equations. In general, his relationship with school is uneven, with him excelling in topics that fascinate him, like herpetology, the study and classification o f reptiles an d amphibians. L ik e many people that have Asperger’s, Willie can spend hours fixated on very specific topics or interests, which is why many with the diagnosis make good lawyers or computer programmers. A s the parent o f a child with profound autism, Tobi says that her perception o f Asperger’s maybe a bit different. “I f Willie were an only child or i f Jacob were neurotypical, we would probably be more focused and concerned. B u t for us, Willie is doing great. H e ’s a terrific kid. H e has challenges and quirks and whatnot. H e ’s definitely a unique individual. ” Photos by Leah Nash
