Autism support group to host meeting

Cheris Hodges, The Laurinburg Exchange, N.C.
·2 min read

Oct. 11—LAURINBURG — When parents hear that their child has autism, sometimes they may feel as if they're alone with nowhere to turn.

That's why Rev. Essie Davis wants to help parents of children with Autism realize they aren't alone.

Davis, who worked with the North Carolina Autism Society and is the mother of an autistic son, has created a support group for families who are on a journey with autism.

"We call it the Autism Parents Support Group: You Are Not Alone. This is not the first time we've established a parent support group, in 1995, under the umbrella of the Autism Society of North Carolina, we had the Scotland County parents support group. That group dispersed in 2015. So, we carried it on. We realize that parents of children with autism face many challenges."

Davis said she's not only a parent of an autistic child, but she also has a grandson on the autism spectrum as well.

"I see it from both sides," she said. "My son is on the lower functioning and my grandson is a little higher functioning. My son, he's non-verbal. He never talked and he's still not talking. Yet and still it's been a challenge for us communicating with him. Well, he walked during graduation, even though he received a certificate. During his elementary and middle school we did have some challenging behavior there. But we were able to manage and he was able to stay in school all of those years."

Davis said she always tells parents to become knowledgeable about the disability. Because once a child is diagnosed, it's important to know what autism is.

Davis wants to help parents get the resources and the support that they need. With the support group, Davis said parents are able to meet with professionals who can provide the resources that they need.

The group has partnered with Scotland County Schools and holds their meetings at the AB Gibson Center on Main Street.

The next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 20 at 5:30 p.m. where the speaker will be Dr. Tory Lawrence, director of exceptional children.

To join the meeting, Davis said interested parents can call (910) 361-0172 or just show up.

Nationally, one in 44 children are diagnosed with Autism.

According to the CDC, in North Carolina, boys are five times more likely to be identified with autism than girls.

For more information on autism, visit autismsociety-nc.org.

Cheris Hodges can be reached at (910) 506-3169 or chodges@laurinburgexchange.com.