Lois Blackwell

Autism Light #415 is Lois Blackwell.

Lois Judevine Blackwell was a pioneer in autism treatment in St. Louis Missouri and founded the Judevine Center for Autism. Lois Blackwell was born on September 17, 1927, and passed away on March 17, 2015, at the age of 87. She had been diagnosed with cancer a week earlier. She is survived by three children: Kathy Blackwell, Mark (Valerie) Blackwell and Rebecca Blackwell. The funeral service for Lois Blackwell was held on March 21, 2015, at the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Frontenac, Missouri. Internment followed at Oak Hill Cemetery in Kirkwood, Missouri. Lois Blackwell will be placed on the Autism Light Memorial Roll today.

Education: Lois Blackwell started working as a secretary in the Sociology Department of Washington University in St. Louis in the 1960's. She taught herself all she could on the newly discovered condition of autism so she could help in the small autism clinic the department had. In 1967 she became the Assistant Director in the Social Exchange Laboratory at Washington University. When she retired in 2004, Washington University awarded her an honorary degree for her lifetime work.

Judevine Center for Autism:  Lois Blackwell founded the Judevine Center for Autism in 1970 after a grant at the university's lab expired.

When the grant for the university's lab ran out out in 1970, Mrs. Blackwell and the parents of the children weren't ready to give up. They started the first program for treatment of autism in St. Louis. They stood in streets with donation cans to raise money from passing motorists. Mrs. Blackwell developed the training for parents, teachers, and professionals (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 20, 2015, Michael D. Sorkin).

Lois Blackwell, who was divorced, didn't want her name on the center, but parents decided to call it Judevine, which was her maiden name.  Lois wrote the curriculum used at the Judevine clinics. They did not use drugs in treatment but used a pioneer version of what we know as ABA therapy by giving rewards to reinforce positive behaviors.

"The Mission of the Judevine Center for Autism is to make a real difference in the quality of life for children and adults with autism, and their families, wherever they may live (Judevine Center Website)."  You can learn more about the ongoing autism services and training offered at the clinics that the Judevine Center for Autism has around the State of Missouri on their website at judevine.org.

Residential Treatment: Lois Blackwell is the founder of the first residential treatment center for autistic people in St. Louis. She established this groundbreaking program in the former St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church near the Missouri Botanical Garden  (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 20, 2015, Michael D. Sorkin).

Social Media: You can follow the Judevine Center on the following social media areas:

• Facebook Page for Judevine Center for Autism
• Twitter @JudevineCenter

Philosophy of Education: Michael Sorkin wrote in her obituary, "Mrs. Blackwell viewed her mission as destroying the idea that autistic children cannot learn and are incapable of education (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 20, 2015, Michael D. Sorkin)."

Obituaries: You may read more information about Lois Blackwell in these obituaries.

• Obituary at Dignity Memorial. 
• The St. Louis Post-Dispatch Obituary

Special thanks to Lois Blackwell for her pioneer work to improve the lives of those with autism in St. Louis. Her work lives on in the Judevine Center for Autism and in the children she worked with who are now adults. The autism community truly lost a treasure. May her life prove to be an example to others who follow her in Missouri and around the world.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Mormon Channel

Autism Light #357 is The Mormon Channel.

The Mormon Channel is the "media channel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The channel originates from Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah and broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Content for the station comes from the vast archives of the Church, along with several new series created specifically for this station (About The Mormon Channel)."  The Mormon Channel is an Autism Light for raising autism awareness by creating media that addresses autism and is spread to their viewers across the world.

The following media on The Mormon Channel shares the story of a girl named Hannah whose brother Hyrum has autism. It was released by The Mormon Channel in April of 2013 for Autism Awareness Month (Deseret News, Sarah Petersen, May 1, 2013). It concludes with an excerpt from a message on inclusion by Thomas S. Monson, the President of The Mormon Church.




Autism was also the subject of a special program on The Mormon Channel called "Mormon Identities."  Episode 43 of "Mormon Identities" was dedicated to autism. You can listen to that media at www.mormonchannel.org/mormon-identities/43.

Special thanks to The Mormon Channel for being an Autism Light by raising awareness of autism in their media. Hopefully this message of hope for autism will reach a large and diverse audience as they share their media around the clock. To read about other features at Autism Light with connections to the Mormon faith search for the label "Mormon."

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Garrett Giauque

Autism Light #289 is Garrett Giauque.

Garrett Giauque is a 13 year old boy with autism from Salt Lake City, Utah.  An amazing talent for drawing has surfaced in Garrett. Garrett Giauque is an Autism Light for the way his talent at drawing is serving as an inspiration to the autism community.

When asked to describe himself, Garrett said, "Well Garrett's a different man and Garrett's a surviving guy, surviving autistic kid. Trying to survive this life and world (Source)."

Mormon Faith and Autism: In August, 2011, Garrett's mother April, who also has two other children with autism, wrote an article called, "Garrett Was God's Child First" which appeared in the Ensign, a publication of the Mormon Church. The article is very helpful in showing how faith, in this case Garrett's mother's Mormon faith, gives a perspective on autism. April Giauque writes in the article about what she has learned from Garrett:

What I have learned from Garrett and our other children who fall within the autism spectrum is that they are children first and people with autism second. I imagine that it is much the same way that our Heavenly Father sees all of us: we are His children first, and we have trials and experiences second. Our children want love, attention, help, success, and praise. They want their pain to be eased, and they want to feel hope. They enjoy life differently than many people do, yet their needs and wants are similar to those of most everyone  (Source)."

Autism Contributes to Garrett's Artistic Ability: Garrett's mother, April said, "The ability that autism has given him in the sense of how to focus, how to look at detail, how to create things. That is going to be his gift back to the world."

Future Plans: While 13 is young to have one's future planned out, Garrett's mother foresees that he might have a career someday working in a museum and drawing animals (Source).

There is an archived news story by KSL.com-Utah by Peter Rosen on Garrett Giauque that you can read at this link.

Special thanks to Garrett Giauque for being an Autism Light. We look forward to hearing amazing things about how his talent develops in the future. For more information on artists with autism visit the Autism Light Art page.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.