Phillip was diagnosed with autism at 27 months old after his mother and grandmother noticed delays in his development and abnormal behaviors. He received intensive therapy of 40 hours per week. Years of therapy helped Phillip develop social skills and academic abilities, allowing him to attend a mainstream elementary school with no support. He enjoys many extracurricular activities and sports and has few challenges from autism now, though social skills still require attention. Phillip's progress is attributed to his dedicated family and therapists.

1. By: Sarah Ellis
Diagnosed
It wasn’t until Phillip was about 18 months that his mother started to worry about his
development. Phillip wasn’t the babbling toddler like other children his age. He would throw
tantrums and hurl things when he got frustrated, which happened when he couldn’t
communicate. Mary had brushed it aside several times, thinking she was just trying to compare
him to his cousin Jack, 6 weeks older, or that the recent divorce between her and Phillip’s
father had slowed him down. But Phillip’s grandmother, Suzanne Vitale, pushed Mary to get
him checked out.
Suzanne babysat Phillip and Jack during the week and began wondering if it was autism
that was causing his delays. Suzanne was familiar with some of the signs of autism because of
her goddaughter, Victoria Kelly, the daughter of the Kelly family who started the Kelly Autism
Program in Bowling Green, KY. Although the symptoms and levels of autism vary across the
board, she was almost certain that it was what Phillip’s diagnosis would be.
“The repetition of things like stacking fisher price rings up and then taking them down
and stacking them again, the temper tantrums, his delayed speech, his lack of eye contact with
adults, his inability to interact with other toddlers, they were all big signs to me,” Suzanne said.
After struggling with the long and complicated process of how and where to get the
proper testing for a diagnosis like autism, Phillip got his first string of tests at the Clinical
education building at Western Kentucky University. The first place they went was the
Commission for Children with Special Needs where Phillip was then referred to First Steps.
After First Steps he could then go to public preschool but with a summer birthday Phillip would
have had 2 extra months without therapy before school started if he had not had private

2. therapy. Mary said she remembers feeling so overwhelmed after realizing that Phillip couldn’t
perform over half of the simple commands and tasks on the list from the therapists. But that
was just the tip of the ice burg. His official diagnosis with autism meant all kinds of therapy
for Phillip, some of which he’d have for the rest of his life. He was diagnosed by Dr. Carl
Myers on September 11, 2001 when he was 27 months old. She wondered if he would ever be
able to talk, let alone function on his own.
As a newly single mother, Mary had her hands full and needed any help she could get.
Suzanne was eager to use her connections to start raising money and awareness in Bowling
Green to benefit Phillip and other people affected by autism.
“Unfortunately, it’s only the families that have the resources that are actually able to get
something done for their child; but when you have the connections, you use them,” Suzanne
said. And that’s when Suzanne got to work compiling a long list of therapists to work with
Phillip. According to most of the research she had done, a 2-3 year old child with autism needs
40 hours of therapy a week to become a success story. She and Mary found occupational
therapy, behavioral therapy, speech therapy, playgroup therapy, and a psychologist for Phillip
to begin working with.
“Of course he still needed to sleep, but almost every waking moment Phillip was in
some type of therapy so he could constantly be learning,” she explained.
Only a handful of outlets for families with autistic children existed in town at the time,
and there wasn’t anything set up for children with autism after age 3 outside of private therapy.
The playgroup that Phillip was a part of as a toddler that mixed underdeveloped children with
regularly developing children of the same age had lost its funding. Mary explained that while
Phillip was benefiting from the instruction he received from adults in therapy, the playgroup

3. with other toddlers his own age was crucial for his social development. That’s where
Suzanne’s connections became a big help, not just to Phillip, but also to the city of Bowling
Green and the other families affected by autism. The story of funding for the Clinical
Education Complex, which offers resources to several types of disabilities, is what Suzanne
refers to as a “God thing.” 2.5 million dollars for the complex was literally offered to her on an
elevator ride when she was speaking at a conference in Hawaii. She said she waited 3 days
before calling him back but knew that she needed the money and was serious about bringing
the necessary resources to Bowling Green.
Just a Regular Kid
But after years of therapy and faithful instruction, the 10-year-old with sandy hair and a
toothy smile is rarely noticed for his disability. Phillip is downright chatty! He is extremely
involved in the community and with his peers, which is rare for someone who has been
diagnosed with a disorder known for social struggles. Phillip is very active and enjoys playing
on sports teams, taking music lessons, and acts in community theater performances.
He attends Briarwood Elementary School as an average 5th-grader with no special
classes or extra help. His teacher, Sheri Whittle, who came to the school in October when the
school year had already begun, said she didn’t even know Phillip had a disability of any kind.
“It wasn’t until another teacher mentioned it in passing that I even found out about
Phillip having autism,” she said. She explained that he is an active participant in the classroom
and makes A’s and B’s in most subjects. As a teacher for 11 years, Whittle has taught a few
students with autism and said Phillip is extremely high functioning in comparison.
She smiled and said that P.E. class, when things get competitive, is the only time she
really notices a difference.

4. “Phillip just gets a little over-excited during competitive games and doesn’t always
understand why everyone doesn’t always follow the rules,” Whittle said.
Mary further explained that because of therapy Phillip has learned the general rules of
social situations; taking turns, following instructions, etc. In portions of sports this is extremely
helpful because Phillip can participate in drills and likes the repetition that they offer. It’s
when there’s pushing and shoving, a normal part of basketball or soccer, that he gets
overexcited and can’t come down from that excitement. He has a hard time processing the idea
that you can push and shove until the whistle blows and it’s time to stop. He wants to get that
last push in. But when he gets a penalty for it, he gets upset.
Outside of the classroom Phillip stays busy with after school activities and therapy.
Mary’s hopes of keeping him up to speed with his peers have definitely come true, and she’s
pleased to know that Phillip has no trouble making friends and getting along with his
classmates. A peek into his private life only cements the fact that his disability doesn’t really
disable him at all, he’s just another 10-year-old boy.
His bedroom is painted a bright blue and covered with a WKU sports mural and houses
shelves of trophies and pictures. He excitedly jabbers about how he won each trophy and
which ones were his favorites.
“I like this one because it has a giant bat on the trophy, and this one because it’s the
biggest!” he says. Mary points to cast pictures from various performances Phillip has been in
that line the wall. She laughs about the orange face makeup that Phillip had to wear when he
played an umpa lumpa in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory production. Phillip points to
himself in a sea of green-wigged children and describes how some of the umpa lumpas broke
out in a rash from the orange makeup. Shelves and shelves of neatly organized books and nick

5. nacks from various vacations speak volumes about how little autism has affected his
participation in average childhood activities.
His playroom contains a full-sized drum set and several life-size murals of The Beatles,
Phillip’s favorite band. The Beatles were an early favorite thanks to his drum teacher who has
taught him to play many Beatles songs. Phillip can play guitar, drums, and piano to “Let it Be”
and “I am the Walrus” which is his current favorite. Although Phillip enjoys music, the topic of
the day, and most days lately, is the Taekwondo lesson that’s coming up. After attending a
birthday party at Jeramy Black's TaeKwonDo Academy, Phillip was enthralled and begged to
start taking lessons. Mary thought it would be a good idea, knowing the lessons in both
physical and self-discipline would be great for him.
“His therapists always encourage him to get involved in activities that are on a more
individual level, like golf,” she explained. Taekwondo fit the bill and Mary said that Phillip
finds his hard work rewarding. After only 2 months of lessons he’s quickly earned orange belt
and is already learning about sparring. He proudly shares the order in which he’ll receive the
rest of his belts. He dominates the flow of conversation and steers any deviation from
Taekwondo right back to his plan of attack and earning those belts. This intense focus on the
subject could be attributed to his autism, but as his mother points out, it’s a normal trait for
children who get excited about something new.
Challenges
Social interaction seems to be the only thing that trips Phillip up, but he has drastically
improved his ability to function in a variety of social settings. Mary explained that things that
would be considered common sense to younger children don’t come as naturally to children
with autism. She said something as simple as learning about “personal space” has to be taught

6. to him in very literal terms. In preschool he wanted to sit snuggled up close to a little girl he
liked, but it was too close for comfort for her. He had difficulty understanding what was wrong
with him wanting to be close to his friend and Mary had to introduce the idea that people like
some space between them and everyone else. She said that they literally used a little ruler at
home when Phillip would sit next to someone until he understood that he needed to leave that
“personal space.”
A situation at school revealed another way Phillip sometimes has trouble interacting
with his peers. When a classmate was playing pretend and claimed she was a penguin, Phillip
jokingly asked if she was a fat penguin. Although the joke was meant to be harmless, the little
girl was offended and when Phillip offered his apology and tried to explain that he was kidding
the girl didn’t want to forgive him. Phillip insisted that she forgive him because he said he was
sorry and meant it, but the argument continued. A teacher stepped in and cleared up the
confusion but Phillip came home upset that the little girl wouldn’t forgive him. Mary said he
tends to be a little over-sensitive and that is a normal reaction for someone with autism.
Even though he may lack the natural instincts for some social situations, Phillip’s
therapists marvel at how far he has come over the years. His advancements would not have
been possible without the dedication of his mother and close relationships with his therapists
and teachers. However, puberty and middle school bring on a whole new set of social skills and
his therapists will be preparing to tackle those situations in the next year or two.
Overall, these challenges are minor compared to most people living with autism.
“He’s our little miracle boy,” Suzanne said, “He’s worked so hard and come so far.
He’s just as smart as any of my other grandchildren and he’s such a joy.”
Phillip has plans to attend college and have a career. With his continued education and

7. therapy it looks like he’ll get what he wants. But just like most 10-year-olds, when asked about
what he wants to be one day he says he doesn’t know yet. He knows he likes science
experiments and math because those are his easiest subjects but the future is still a long way
away. For now, all Phillip is worried about is what Taekwondo belt he’ll be earning next.
Sources:
Mary Bryant (270) 779-2247
Sheri Whittle sheri.whittle@warren.ky.schools.us
Suzanne Vitale (270) 781-0477