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Slo-pitch for Autism raises money and awareness

'What’s going to happen when I’m gone? He can’t live on his own. When the time comes, there’s got to be someone out there willing and wanting to look after him and provide one-on-one care for the rest of his life' Nicole Corbin.

Josee Landriault sat in her doctor’s office, knowing test results would confirm her suspicions that her three-year-old son Richard, was on the autism spectrum.

She was expecting her second child when she got the news.

“It was a really tough road because it took us three doctors to get the diagnosis. He was just a year old when they mentioned it could be that, with no explanation.”  

Richard is now 18, the age when their current funding runs out.

“After they turn 18 they then have to qualify to get a pension which is not an easy process. We started when Richard was 16 years old to get a new diagnosis, to get the process in place and fill out all the forms so that at 18, we would have something,” said Landriault.

The re-evaluation resulted in an additional diagnosis of developmental delay.   

“On his 18th birthday, we got a letter saying all of the funding we had was no longer available and that we would have to wait for the new funding to come. As a family you’re not prepared for that, it’s quite overwhelming because it is a two-year process to get everything in place for these adults. If you wait until they turn 18, then you might be looking at a one to two year wait period before you get some funding or access to a pension.”

Landriault shared her story with the teams taking part in the Slo-pitch For Autism North Bay tournament over the weekend.

Her cousin’s team, the Amazing Gracie’s, chose to honour Richard during the two-day event.

Landriault explained to the players that she, along with countless other parents, continue to go through a grieving process.

“This year was particularly difficult for my family because all of Richard’s friends who he started school with, graduated, and it was really tough. Although we were proud and happy for his friends, it was really hard for us to see the grad pictures and the prom pictures, and see all that and know that’s not our reality, because he’s not in a regular classroom, and he’s not in a regular program, so he’s not hitting the same milestones as everybody else,” said Landriault.

“It was the same process we went through when we had to make the decision to pull him out of a regular classroom and put him in a special needs classroom. Again there’s a grieving process where you have to grieve it out, pick yourself up and move on. But it is hard, because you’re watching everybody around you, and it’s even more apparent that your child is not like everybody else, and you so wish in your heart that they were. Even though they have amazing special qualities, and they do amazingly wonderful things, there’s still that little pang in your heart.”   

The other tournament guest speaker, Nicole Corbin, is the mother of eight-year-old Connor Gagnon.

Her journey toward a diagnosis was also lengthy.

“I knew at an early age that there was something different about Connor, even at three months. He would never respond to the sound of a rattle and even at five or six months, he wouldn’t look at us. I would have to take about 200 pictures to get even one picture of him looking at me,” said Corbin.

The young mother says her son seemed happy and always wanted to be cuddled, but she knew something wasn’t right.

“I would tell the doctor at follow up appointments that children generally have, that there was something different, that he wasn’t responding to his name, he wasn’t looking at me, he didn’t wave or point, he wasn’t even mumbling. He wasn’t saying anything. I knew there was something different, but I was always told it was early, he’s a late bloomer.”

It took just over three years for the diagnosis. Put on a waiting list, Connor was four years old when he started an intense behavioural analysis.

“Connor is fantastic. He’s non-verbal but he uses a communication iPad to communicate with us and he’s getting better and better all the time. It’s programmed for his needs, and it opened up a whole new world for him to be able to talk to us,” said Corbin.

“He’s just a happy boy, but he needs full one-on-one support. He’s in a primary communication class. It’s a classroom for children with autism.”

Corbin advises parents who may suspect something is wrong, to continue advocating on their child's behalf.

“That’s true for all children, but especially for a child who is non-verbal. I’m not afraid to speak up. I’m going to make sure my child has the best services, and care he can get. I’m going to try and make him as independent as possible. “

Corbin says the slo-pitch tournament is about family.

“They say it’s the fastest growing disability out there. Our greatest fear is, what is going to happen when we’re gone? There needs to be something out there. Connor is going to be living with us until I physically and mentally can’t do it anymore, but what’s going to happen when I’m gone? He can’t live on his own. When the time comes, there’s got to be someone out there willing and wanting to look after him and provide one-on-one care for the rest of his life and that there’s money available for him to keep him happy like he is now, and love him the way we do.”

Ritch Holland President of Slo-Pitch For Autism, says education and awareness is an important part of the tournament.

“When we do the tournaments, raising funds for the families is a goal, but so is raising awareness. We do a session at every tournament where we get all the teams together and we talk about autism and we get some speakers to raise awareness within the community.”  

Mom Josee Landriault agrees that there needs to be more awareness about what families go through.

“I think any tournament, any event that can put our families in the spotlight to know what we’re going through, that we’re not like everybody else, is important. When you watch all these people who are here for a reason, to learn more, or to support a family, to me that’s absolutely incredible.”