Family faces Autism, now fights for awareness
EDITOR’S NOTE: I recently met Shawn Fry, who is a candidate for District Attorney General in the upcoming May 6th Republican Primary. In addition to being an outstanding attorney and former Asst. District Attorney, Shawn is also an outstanding husband and father. His story touched me so much, I decided to write about his family in my “Wonderful Life Column.”
By Don Napier
Shawn and Dawn Fry knew within a week after their son Austin was born, 12 years ago, that something was wrong. He cried constantly and slept very little, while his twin sister, Sydney, seemed fine.
“Even though you should not compare children to one another, we did,” said the Frys, who are both attorneys in Cookeville. “They were our only children and all we knew. My wife’s heart was telling her that there was something seriously wrong with Austin.
“As time passed, Austin seemed unable to hear, and his speech was not developing well. Words he did learn and songs he tried to sing one day, were simply not there the next.
He pitched uncontrollable tantrums. He was often sick. A hearing test showed that he could hear, but simply did not respond to what he heard, not even his own name. Meanwhile, his twin sister was progressing normally, learning and using words and phrases.
Shawn Fry and son, Austin
“That’s been 10 years ago,” Austin’s dad Shawn said. After many struggles, doctor trips, and worry, the Frys were finally given a name for what was wrong with their son: Autism.
That’s a disorder of development characterized by difficulty in communicating and interacting with others. It sometimes causes a child to retreat into an isolated, seemingly impenetrable world.Researchers say it is increasingly common, possibly the fastest-growing disability in the United States. There is a growing push to find the reasons and to find ways to help those who have it.
After getting the official diagnosis, the Fry’s were very sad. “This began another phase in our journey, the panic and grieving stage,” Shawn said.
But they did not let the panic take over. Instead, they began an intense search for all the resources available to help their son.
Help came in many forms, beginning with the Tennessee Early Intervention System, which assigned service coordinator Kim Correll to work with the Frys.
She arranged speech/language and development evaluations, and helped the parents find a neurologist to arrange tests for any underlying medical problems (there were none). The Child Development Center at Vanderbilt also helped, rendering the actual diagnosis just before Austin turned 3.
Today Austin is 12, and you might not ever dream that at one time he could not even wash his hands. “Everything an autistic child learns must be broken down in steps, for example, washing their hands,” Austin’s dad said. “They cannot simply watch others do something and then repeat it on their own. Austin had to be taught to point his finger, to make eye contact with others, and to play with other children.
As they worked to help their son, the Frys also grieved for the loss of the child they thought they had, and the shattered dreams they had for the future.
Public school systems offers programs for autistic children beginning at age three. That’s when Austin joined the “Believe Classroom” at Cane Creek Elementary, a program which places autistic children with typically developing peers, thus providing “models” from which the autistic children learn.
“He no longer throws tantrums, and loves going to school now,” Shawn said. “He calls people by name and greets them with ‘Good Morning’ — he’s a happy little boy with a wonderful laugh,” dad said.
Recent reports indicate that this complex neurobiological disorder (which usually lasts throughout a lifetime) is striking more and more children, and experts say early intervention is the key to helping children the most.
Shawn and other fathers with special needs children are doing all they can to raise awareness and funding for resources and research.
“We still have a long journey ahead of us,” Austin’s mom said. “Austin has made huge strides and because of God’s grace, we have faith in greater things to come. What began as the ”end of the world’ has provided so many opportunities to share with others the importance of early intervention.”
I now know that Austin is a gift from God, and there is a purpose for him having received this diagnosis. It is our passion and purpose to share our testimony so that we may help others on this same journey,” Shawn said.
The Frys spend much of their time now working to help raise money for the Autism Society of America. For further information you can call Dawn Fry at (931) 200-4991 or visit www.autism-society.org on the internet.
