East County families 'hang 10' for autism

SARASOTA COUNTY — Dressed in a wet suit, 7-year-old Dylan Wojcik looked toward the ocean, the waves lapping toward his bare feet.

All around him, families huddled in groups with cameras, watching their children take to the ocean waves.
Despite the cool temperature and chilling winds, Dylan made his way into the salty water at the coaxing of his coach, veteran surfer Jacob Shields, and therapist/volunteer Michelle Chrzczonowski.

Within minutes, Dylan was sitting on a surfboard for the first time, a smile spread across his face. Shields pulled him farther out, waiting to catch a small wave, and then sent Dylan propelling forward on the board.

Dylan was one of about 80 children with special needs to learn how to surf Nov. 6 at Siesta Key Beach. The Hang 10 for Autism event, organized by the Lakewood Ranch-based Center for Autism Research and Education, was the first of its kind on the West Coast. Similar events have been gaining popularity, particularly in California.

Children ages 3 to 17 from Lakeland to Ft. Myers were paired with a seasoned surfer and an adult volunteer for personalized instruction in surfing, skim boarding or paddle boarding.

“There are a couple of things that speak to children with autism, and one of them is water,” said Dr. Kristina Ordetx, director of C.A.R.E. “It can be purely magical.

“Surfing is a way to expose (the children) to a different activity they wouldn’t normally be able to experience,” she said. “If they end up liking it, it’s a great activity for core strength, balance and coordination.”

Autism is neurobiological disorder that affects how a person perceives and interprets his environment. Symptoms of the disorder range from mild to severe and are different for each child. However, most children have problems with social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or limited interests.

Ordetx said many children with autism experience sensory dysfunction, meaning their senses do not integrate information from their environment properly. But being in the water or on a horse, for example, requires children to be more alert.

“Your brain has to work harder and think about what you are doing,” she said.

In Dylan’s case, horseback riding already has proven to have tremendous results. His mother, Jean, said the motion of the horse helps Dylan stabilize himself and focus. Surfing offers similar benefits.

“Just this type of therapy makes him speak normal,” Dylan’s dad, Paul, said as he watched the surfing commence. “My son loves the water. This will help him. This will make him who he is as he becomes a man.”

Dylan was diagnosed with autism when he was 2-and-one-half years old.

“He didn’t start talking until he was 4, and that was a few words,” Jean said. “Since he started at The Pinnacle Academy three years ago, he can say sentences.”

Although many children with autism have behavioral issues, Dylan’s challenge is one entirely of communication. Attending multiple therapies a week have helped, but he still has a hard time understanding how to correctly respond to questions or how to express his ideas. Before surfing on Saturday, he simply said “shoes off” to let his family know he wanted to feel the sand against his feet while swinging on the playground.

But his comprehension and communication has improved tremendously since he started attending Pinnacle. Dylan recently started learning to read, memorizing each word as a picture rather than learning by phonetics.

Paul Wocjik said speech, occupational and other therapies needed by children with autism can be extremely costly — and sometimes unattainable for the average family. Events such as Hang 10 for Autism are important because they offer every family a chance to provide much-needed therapy to their children.

For more information about autism, early identification and other autism-related resources, visit www.careautism.net.

For more photos from the event, click here.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].