Blocker’s 5-year-old son Garrett has autism. That, as parents of children with the disorder will attest, comes with a 24-7 work order. But Blocker, a single mom, also puts in 40 hours a week as a computer program analyst at Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany, and she spends any amount of time she can steal talking with civic organizations about autism.
Oh, and she also single-handedly opened in January and directs the Albany Autism Center at the Dawson Road Church of Christ.
Maybe force of nature is too mild a phrase.
“I found out Garrett had autism through a ‘20-20’ special on the disease,” Blocker says while showing a visitor around the Autism Center at 2115 Dawson Road. “I cried for about two weeks, then went to my pediatrician to find out what I needed to do.
“There are some tell-tale signs of autism, but I knew when Garrett was 14 months old that something wasn’t right. He was non-verbal, so I took him to get his hearing checked, a typical response. But his symptoms went much deeper; it was as if no one was in the room with him. He simply didn’t respond.”
Shortly after Garrett’s diagnosis was confirmed, Blocker’s husband walked out on her.
“Of course, Garrett’s autism was a huge factor in my divorce,” she said. “The divorce rate among families whose children have autism is in the 80th percentile. I understand that men and women deal with things differently; I understand that men look at their sons and think ‘he’s never going to play football or do regular boy stuff.’
“But my focus became Garrett, doing everything I could for him. Everything else got pushed to the side.”
At the time, Blocker was a 14-year Marine Corps veteran, and she was seven months away from deployment to Iraq.
“I had a choice: I could send Garrett to his father, or I could resign my commission and do the best I could,” she said. “I thought about moving to Atlanta to Jacksonville, Fla., or to San Diego where there were programs for children with autism, but I decided to stay here.
“I got a job at the base, and withdrew my retirement to make ends meet.”
And she also came up with a plan to develop an autism center in Albany for other parents like her.
“It was ambitious, I know, but I knew there were other parents out there who needed help,” she said.
Blocker applied for a grant through the local Easter Seals chapter but was turned down. She asked the nonprofit Albany Advocacy Resource Center for help, but that group didn’t have funding available.
Finally, she mentioned her plan to one of the elders at Dawson Road Church of Christ. A few phone calls were made on her behalf, and just like that the church told her they would donate a seldom-used portion of the building for the autism center. Six months later, in January, the center opened.
Six students now attend therapy sessions at the center, which has one part-time and three full-time instructors as well as occupational and speech therapy specialists who contract with the center.
“I have a five-year plan, which includes a large building with every kind of clinical center imaginable,” Blocker says. “But right now I’m working on a two-year plan, which is, essentially, if we’re not further along with the center in two years, I’ll have to go.
“I’m funding everything right now out of my pocket, so if we can’t get the community behind this center, I’ll be forced to do something else.”
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, caring for persons with autism costs an estimated $35 billion a year in this country. Yet scientists have not been able to figure out what autism is or what causes it.
Scientists estimate that the disorder affects one out of every 150 to 166 children born in this country, which would indicate a population of more than a half-million youngsters. No two children with autism exhibit the same symptoms, and there are varying degrees of severity on the autism spectrum.
Among the possible causes for autism, which was first diagnosed regularly in the 1970s, are genetics, environmental factors, hormone imbalance and there are those who theorize that typical childhood vaccinations are responsible. There is no known cure.
Gina Bailey learned that her son Grayson, 5, had autism a little less than a year ago. A “high-functioning” youngster who displayed some of the less severe behaviors of the disorder — “hand-flapping, spinning, zoning out, speaking in jibbar-jabber” — Grayson has received therapy at the Albany Autism Center since it opened.
“I was preparing to move to Atlanta so that Grayson could get involved in a daily program,” Bailey, who works as office manager at her husband’s Bailey Chiropractic Center, said. “It really took a while for me to get my head around this, but I knew I had to do something for him.
“He was in his day care class last year, and he’d hide under a table in the classroom. Or when the kids went outside for activities, he’d stand alone under a tree. I heard of Diane’s program and brought him here. He’s shown lots of improvement; he opens up more, he expresses himself better and he’s shown lots of improvement in his speech, his interaction and his communication.”
Parents from as far away as Cordele and Camilla heard of the Albany Autism Center through word of mouth and are bringing their children for sessions each weekday.
The students are diagnosed by a behavioral consultant, who helps develop an individual program for each child.
“We work with the students on gross and fine motor skills in the applied behavior and environmental rooms,” Blocker said. “And we have occupational and speech therapists who work with the students on individual needs. Each child has his or her own set of flash cards, toys and other developmental tools.
“The teachers constantly monitor and adapt the curriculum to the individual needs of each student.”
Kowana McKinney had been an educator for 15 years when she decided to take a position teaching at the Albany Autism Center. She said seeing children with autism trying to function in a “normal” school setting was a key factor in her career change.
“You work with the students in the school system, and you notice there’s one child who has problems that can be associated with autism,” McKinney said. “Then you notice a second child, and then there are five. You realize that this is a widespread problem in this area, and, unfortunately, many of the children are never diagnosed. They’re just passed on.
“I wanted to take the abilities I have — the most important being patience — and put them to use in this kind of setting. There is definitely a need for the kind of one-on-one attention we’re able to give our students.”
Blocker estimates that there are some 1,000 or more students with autism in the greater Albany area.
“Sadly, most parents can’t afford to get help, or their insurance doesn’t offer any coverage,” she says. “What you end up with often is children with autism in special education classes where they have little chance to learn.
“Because, even though children with autism exhibit behaviors that are not ‘normal’, they aren’t stupid. Most of them have above-average to average intelligence. They’re just different, and they need one-on-one attention to learn. Teachers have to adjust to them to help them learn.”
In Blocker’s perfect five-year-plan world, she’ll be able to leave her “other” full-time job and concentrate on working at the autism center. She wants a building where she and her staff can try the various types of recommended therapies to see which draws students’ responses.
“It’s going to take a good deal of money, and it’s going to take this community getting behind what we’re doing,” she says. “But this can be such an important program for a lot of children.”
As Blocker attempts to draw awareness to the Autism Center through such events as an Autism Awareness Walk (April 5 at The Parks at Chehaw), through guest appearances at civic organizations — She’s already spoken to local Kiwanis, Rotary, Exchange and Sertoma clubs and the Worth Masonic Lodge — and through her Web site (www.sowegaautismresources.org), she’s trying to find a key that will unlock the hearts of local citizens.
One person her story has touched is Dougherty County Commissioner John Hayes, whose family has children with the disorder and whose young son has “shown signs of autism.”
“Autism is not just a local problem, but it is a local problem,” Hayes said during a recent conversation. “I’m not sure of the numbers, but I’m certain they’re staggering. I have no doubt that it is in the best interest of not just this community, but the entire nation, to come together and find ways we can address this problem.
“You’re never going to find remedies and cures in a vacuum. We need to focus on this issue, which can be so devastating to parents. My intention is to do everything I can to help; we all need to reach out to those who are carrying such a heavy burden.”
As “director/president/Master of the Universe” at the Albany Autism Center, Diane Blocker is indeed a force of nature. But sometimes even forces of nature can’t go it alone.
“We really need help,” she says. “There’s so much work to be done; there are so many families that need what we can provide.”
Interested persons may contact the Albany Autism Center through its Web site or by calling (229) 883-6288. With enough help, the center will be able to facilitate more such moments as the one McKinney shared recently.
“You work with these students, and sometimes it can be disheartening when you don’t see progress,” she said. “But then today one of our little boys who’s been in his own world since he’s been here walked up to another student and gave him a hug.
“That was a little miracle. And that’s why we do this.”