April 21st, 2025
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WMUL-FM) — The Autism Awareness event at Drinko Library spotlights Autism Spectrum Disorder and clears up the many stereotypes that people have when it comes to the disorder.
Taylor McClanahan, a licensed social worker who has two children with intellectual disabilities and ASD, described autism as “a neurological and developmental disorder impacting socialization, communication, learning and behavior.”
McClanahan works at a non-profit organization called Bright Futures Learning Services. Bright Futures Learning Services is an applied behavior analysis or ABA therapy program, offering resources and treatment for children with autism.
She also spoke about CARES (Community Autism Resources Education Systems), which is a non-profit in partnership with Bright Futures Learning Services that focuses on “increasing access to evidence-based services while providing education, advocacy and community outreach,” according to their Facebook page. Founders Jill Scarbo and Jill C. Underhill created CARES to help parents of children with autism have access to ABA therapy.
In 2024, CARES served 2,395 people, a 65% increase from 2023. “Through our inclusive events, CARES increased community engagement, helped families make connections and build support systems,” the presentation said.
McClanahan said that Bright Futures Learning Services hosts one monthly event to “allow families to come out and enjoy social recreation without social stigma, without being excluded from their communities, where their families are accepted and cherished as community members to reduce isolation and depression.”
This partnership allows more awareness and access to ABA which, according to a study shown in McClanahan’s presentation, less than 4% of autistic children in West Virginia have access to a certified ABA therapist.
“We work in the background to help increase policies, to increase access to ABA, such as allowing insurance to pay for ABA and retaining practitioners for ABA in the state,” McClanahan said.
She said that the core characteristics of autism are differences in social communication and interaction, restricted/repetitive behaviors and interests and differences in sensory needs and perception.
Some examples of differences in social communication and interaction are echolalia, which is the repetition of certain words or phrases, preferring to not make eye contact and difficulties in understanding some of the “social rules”.
Some restricted/repetitive behaviors and interests can be things like stimming, or repetitive movements to help self soothe, and an intense hyperfixation on certain subjects, which is called a special interest.
Differences in sensory needs is being abnormally receptive (or unreceptive) to sensory input and avoiding/seeking specific sensory input in order to regulate. This can be things like bright lights or overcrowded rooms being too draining or intense.
“ABA can significantly help and improve your child’s quality of life,” McClanahan said.