# 'Agricultural specialisterne': rural employment revolution for those with Autism **URL:** \ **Category:** Lounge\ **Created:** [June 5, 2011, 5:40am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/agricultural-specialisterne-rural-employment-revolution-for-those-with-autism/50615 "2011-06-05T05:40:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 385
**Author:** ![Visionary7903](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/45deac/32.png) [@Visionary7903](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Visionary7903)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/agricultural-specialisterne-rural-employment-revolution-for-those-with-autism/50615/385 "2013-01-23T15:16:20Z")
In a [recent post](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/agricultural-specialisterne-rural-employment-revolution-for-those-with-autism/50615/368), I mentioned the _Virginia Autism Project (VAP)_. The _VAP_’s President is Teresa Champion, who became an activist in the Autism community after her son received a diagnosis of Autism in 1996… ​ > [@](#): > > Since I was a young boy, I’ve always looked up to my big sister Teresa. > > …But when James was about 1 [and a half] years old, my sister noticed a sudden change. > > “He would just stare. And there would be no response,” Teresa Champion told “Good Morning America.” “And he stopped responding to his name. It’s like somebody flicked the light switch.”’ > > She sometimes felt as through James’ condition was her fault. > > “I was, like, I should’ve spent more time working with him, one-on-one, I should’ve played with him, like I did Sydney. You know, I mean, I should’ve, I should’ve, I should’ve, yeah,” she said. > > Like any mother, she carried that guilt through numerous trips to the doctors. James was 2 years old when Teresa finally heard the diagnosis that would have crushed any parent. > > The doctor said James had moderate to severe autism. > > For Teresa, the diagnosis became a challenge. > > “I’m like, ‘Oh, OK. Autism. All right, great. Now we know what we’re going to do, right?’” she recalled. > > But there is no cure for autism. > > …My sister put her legal career on hold to dig for answers. > > She was sure if she worked hard enough she would find a cure for her little boy. > > Many other mothers of autistic children were also devoting their lives to finding answers. > > …But they would all be told the same thing: There is no cure and there are very few treatment ideas or programs for children like James. > > Years later, as parents with autistic children began to network for solutions, there would be adapted baseball leagues, swim meets – places where James felt accepted. > > …Riding horses connected James to the outside world. It was a connection that Teresa wanted for the other autistic children and their parents. > > She helped raise money for the struggling nonprofit program James rides in. Those funds allow others take part in the program, too. > > “Her purpose was never just to find something for James, but it was to really encourage the whole community of parents and riders, let’s build a community and network … that’s going to help them move forward,” said Corliss Wallingford, the executive director of Simple Changes. > > Putting people together and fundraising may be one of my sister’s best talents. She found strength in a support group when she first heard James’ diagnosis. Now, she runs one out of her own home. > > “I found this group about six or seven years ago and it has become a lifeline for me,” June Adelsberger, the mother of an autistic child, said. > > Another parent seconded the sentiment. > > “We always have to, amongst each other, get the message out there, that they are just a little bit different,” Scott Campbell said. > > Patty Ratliffe finds understanding. > > “Some of the things that our kids do, you don’t necessarily want to go to the other neighborhood moms because they can’t relate,” she said… Here is a link to a public service announcement (PSA) video which was produced for the _Virginia Autism Project_: [Danny’s First Words (30 seconds) - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RmFBSqnZdY) (sources: ['GMA' Anchor Sam Champion Inspired by Sister's Advocacy for Autism Cure - ABC News](http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Inspirations/inspiration-sister-gma-anchor-sam-champion-advocacates-autism/story?id=10663063); ['GMA' Anchor Sam Champion Inspired by Sister's Advocacy for Autism Cure - ABC News](http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Inspirations/inspiration-sister-gma-anchor-sam-champion-advocacates-autism/story?id=10663063&page=2)) --- _[View the full topic](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/agricultural-specialisterne-rural-employment-revolution-for-those-with-autism/50615)._