Darius Brown

Autism Light #450 is Darius Brown. 

Darius Brown is an 11 year old author who has autism. He is mainstreamed in the fifth grade at Skyline Elementary School in Suitland, Maryland, which is in the Washington DC Metropolitan area. Darius Brown is an Autism Light for the example he set for other children who have autism by writing a published book, when he was just 10 years old, called Darius Hates Vegetables.

School: Darius Brown has been mainstreamed in his public elementary school since kindergarten and he is now considered on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum. His mother Wendy Brown wrote the following summary about some of the services that have helped her son over the years with his autism.

Darius Brown

Throughout grade school Darius received a lot of speech therapy services due to his inability to speak. The services taught DJ sign language to sign the words he couldn't speak and other methods to communicate while in school and at home. He also received adaptive physical education services that helped with his motor skills. These services included swimming, roller skating and other activities to help develop his low muscle tone. Now he can participate in a lot of physical activities more aggressively because he can use his muscles and be big and strong. Even though loud noises and other sensory issues are still a challenge for Darius we deal with them a bit at a time and develop coping strategies for each issue (Wendy Brown, March 31, 2016, Email to Autism Light).

Darius Hates Vegetables: Darius Brown writes his books from true events he experiences as a boy growing up, and his first published book is about a boy who enjoys cookies more than vegetables.

An 8 year old named Ryan said this about Darius' book, "I enjoyed Darius Hates Vegetables! It was catchy and a good story. The artwork was beautiful. I don't like vegetables either, but I might try them now (I Am Darius Brown Testimonials)."

Darius' mother Wendy Brown wrote to Autism Light, "Darius uses writing as a way to cope with good and bad things that he's encountered while in school trying to make new friends or other challenges faced at home especially when it comes to sharing his trains with his little brother. Nonetheless, we feel other children/adults on the spectrum will enjoy his stories all the same and realize we are all the same."

Website: You can order the book Darius Hates Vegetables online through his website and also learn more about Darius from his website.

Media: To learn more about Darius Brown read the following media.

• Article on Darius Hates Vegetables featured in Geek Club Books, February 2016
• Article and Video featured at WJLA.com, January 13, 2016
• Article by Autism Speaks, January 14, 2016

Special thanks to Darius Brown for being an Autism Light and being a published author at age 10. Darius Brown is one of the many examples of students with autism doing extraordinary achievements. Hopefully his example will be an encouragement to to other aspiring writers with autism. We wish Darius all the best and hope he will continue to learn and grow in his life.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Photos: The photos in this post were used with permission of Wendy Brown.

Jennifer Waltrip

Autism Light #449 is Jennifer Waltrip.

Jennifer "Jennie" Waltrip served for 17 years as a bright light in the special education field for Frederick (Maryland) County Public Schools and was a Family Trainer for the Maryland Autism Waiver Program. Jennifer Waltrip was born on July 20, 1969 and passed away from a brain aneurysm on January 20, 2016, at the age of 46. Jennifer is survived by her husband Bryan Christopher Waltrip and 9 year old twin children: Finn Larson and Isabel Bear. Her obituary is listed at Legacy.com. Jennifer Waltrip will be placed on the Autism Light Memorial Roll today.

Education: Jennifer Waltrip received the following education.

• BA, Education, Hood College (1992)
• Masters in Education (Special Education Emphasis), John Hopkins University

Teaching Career: Jennifer Waltrip's teaching career included the following.

• Frederick County Public Schools, Teacher Specialist, Secondary Specialized Programs
• Caroll Manor Elementary, Challenges Program
• Ivymount School

In addition, she served as a Family Trainer for the Maryland Autism Waiver. The Maryland Autism Waiver is a program of the Maryland State Department of Education that provides intensive services both in home and school for eligible children with autism regardless of family income.

For more information on Jennifer Waltrip read these online articles.

• Obituary: Jennie Waltrip; Taught Kids With Autism (Voxitatis blog, January 31, 2016)
• Special Education Teacher Remembered for Passion and Abilities (Fredrick News Post, Mike Persley, January 30, 2016)

The autism community was blessed to have a dedicated special education teacher Jennifer Waltrip in Frederick, Maryland and her absence will be felt. It is hoped that her example will inspire others to enter a career in special education teaching.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Pat Skerry

Autism Light #380 is Pat Skerry.

Pat Skerry is the head coach of the men's basketball team at Towson University in Maryland. He was born on January 21, 1970. Pat Skerry is also an Autism Father. His 5 year old son Owen has autism. Pat Skerry is an Autism Light for his willingness to use his role as an autism father and coach of a Division I NCAA basketball program to spread autism awareness.

Basketball Career: Pat Skerry played college basketball at Tufts University from 1988-1992 and set the career record for assists (634) and the season record (198) at Tufts. Pat Skerry has served as the coach of Towson University Tigers' men's basketball team since the 2011-2012 season. He has 80 career wins as a head coach, including two years coaching at Curry College. Follow the future success of his team at the Towson Athletic Website.

Coaches Powering Forward for Autism: Pat Skerry and Tom Herrion started the Coaches Powering Forward for Autism campaign in 2014. Both coach Skerry and Herrion have sons with autism. In 2014 they presented their fellow coaches across the NCAA with the request to wear the Autism Speaks blue puzzle piece during televised games the first weekend of February. In its first year (2014), "More than 82 NCAA coaches and broadcasters took to the sidelines and airwaves throughout the weekend wearing the pin (Autism Speaks Press Release, January 15, 2015)."

Coaches Powering Forward for Autism partners with Autism Speaks and funds raised benefit the work of Autism Speaks. The campaign was in place in 2015 for the televised games on the weekend of February 6-8, 2015. The Coaches Powering Forward for Autism fundraising page lists the coaching leaders in this autism awareness campaign in 2015. The top 3 coaches in 2015 in fundraising for autism as of March 22, 2015 are:

1. Coach Jim Fox, Appalachian State University
2. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Duke University
3. Coach Mike Brey, Notre Dame University

Both Duke and Notre Dame have teams that are experiencing success on the court in the 2015 NCAA Final Four Tournament as well.

Liz Feld, president of Autism Speaks said, "Pat (Skerry) and Tom (Herrion) are advocates in every sense of the word. Last year's campaign was a true grassroots effort, and it continues to grow under the Coaches Powering Forward for Autism banner with far more coaches and broadcasters engaged. In addition, Pat and Tom have become great ambassadors for Autism Speaks attending events across the country that demonstrate the importance of participation and volunteerism (Autism Speaks Press Release, January 15, 2015)."

The following is a news story on Pat Skerry's work with autism awareness at Towson University.

Other Information: You can read more about Pat Skerry and his work with autism in these online news stories:

• NCAA Basketball Coaches and Fans Team Up for Autism, January 15, 2015
• Towson University Coach Puts Spotlight on Autism, WBALTV.com, February 3, 2015
• Coach Shares Why He Wants to Spread Autism Awareness, February 4, 2015
• Towson Coach Pat Skerry Speaks About Autism, Baltimore Sun, February 6, 2015 (Video)

Wikipedia: The Wikipedia Page for Pat Skerry has more information on his life and coaching career statistics.

Social Media: You can follow Pat Skerry on Twitter at @CoachPatSkerry.

Hats off to #JMUDukes on a thrilling win and many thanks to all who came out to support #AutismAwareness @Towson_MBB
— Pat Skerry (@CoachPatSkerry) February 7, 2015

Special thanks to Pat Skerry for spreading autism awareness. His leadership in Coaches Powering Forward for Autism has indeed had an impact around the United States. We wish Pat Skerry all the best in the future as an autism father, coach, and autism advocate.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Jim Palmer

Autism Light #209 is Jim Palmer. 
















Jim Palmer is a retired Hall of Fame Baseball Player. His stepson Spencer has autism. Jim Palmer has his primary home in Palm Beach, Florida. Jim Palmer is an Autism Light for his support of autism in his own family and for helping an autism charity through a special auction.

Baseball Career:  Jim Palmer was a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles from 1965-1984. He won 268 games and never gave up a Grand Slam. His complete statistics are on his ESPN page.  Jim Palmer was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990. The following is the Hall of Fame Video on Jim Palmer.





Baseball Announcer: Jim Palmer became a baseball announcer after his playing days were over.  He worked with ABC Sports on a popular broadcasting team that included Al Michaels and Tim McCarver from 1985-1989 and 1994-1995. Palmer also has a condominium in Baltimore and serves as the current color commentator for Baltimore Orioles baseball games for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

Jim Palmer has been known to wear the Autism Speaks pin while broadcasting. When asked why he wears the pin, Jim Palmer said,

It's for autism awareness. My stepson is autistic - actually, Aspergers, which is supposedly a higher functioning form of the autism spectrum - and they're trying to figure out what causes autism.  The puzzle (piece) is that they're looking for an answer (Source).

Here is a video where Jim Palmer talks about how he keeps healthy today. The video includes portions of Palmer sharing about autism and his stepson Spencer.  At the conclusion of the video Jim Palmer says, "You do the best you can and you hope that somewhere down the road that they are going to make inroads into finding what really causes autism and it would certainly be great to be a part of that."





Auction of Baseball Awards: On July 10, 2012, Jim Palmer put 2 of his Gold Glove Awards and 3 CY Young Awards up for Auction (Source). David Brown of Yahoo Sports writes about the auction, "Some of the proceeds will go to the autism project of Palm Beach County, Fla. (Palmer has a 15-year-old stepson named Spencer, who has autism) and the rest will go in the bank, perhaps to help fund the education of Palmer's grandchildren (Source)."
Wikipedia: You can find out more about Jim Palmer at his Wikipedia Page.
Special thanks to Jim Palmer for being an inspiration to the autism community.  Jim Palmer shows that one need not be a biological father to be an autism father. His dedication as a step-father to an individual with autism is an example for all autism fathers.  Jim Palmer becomes the 8th Major League Baseball Player to be featured on Autism Light. A complete list is found on the Autism Light Sports Page. 
Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.
Photo: The photo of Jim Palmer is in the Wikipedia Commons and is attributed to Keith Allison. 

B.J. and Polly Surhoff

Autism Lights #199 are B.J. and Polly Surhoff.

William "B.J." and Polly Surhoff are from Baltimore, Maryland. Their son Mason has autism. B.J. and Polly Surhoff were part of a group of parents that started an important autism organization in the Baltimore area called Pathfinders for Autism. B.J. Surhoff is a former major league baseball player who currently serves as the President of Pathfinders for Autism. B.J. and Polly Surhoff are Autism Lights for their autism advocacy and their work to help the autism community in the Baltimore, Maryland area through the efforts of Pathfinders.

Baseball Career: B.J. Surhoff played 18 major league baseball seasons between 1987-2005 and he played every position except pitcher. He finished his career with the Baltimore Orioles. B.J. Surhoff's complete career baseball statistics are available on his player page at MLB.com. In 2007, B.J. Surhoff was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame (Source).

The following is a 2011 news interview featuring B.J. Surhoff discussing his experience being a father of a child with autism and how the work of Pathfinders serves the autism community.

Pathfinders for Autism: Pathfinders for Autism was started in 2000 by a group of parents in the Baltimore, Maryland area. B.J. and Polly Surhoff were part of that group. The Pathfinders for Autism website indicates this about the scope of the organization's work in the state of Maryland.

Pathfinders for Autism has grown into the State's largest autism organization dedicated to helping individuals, parents and professionals find resources, supports and training while working to increase the awareness of autism spectrum disorders and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families (Source).

Other Information: You can learn more about the helpful autism related services of Pathfinders for Autism by visiting their website at www.pathfindersforautism.org. For more information on B.J. Surhoff visit his Wikipedia page.

Special thanks to B.J. and Polly Surhoff for their dedication to autism. Their vision and efforts are a light to autism in the Baltimore, Maryland area.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

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Photo: The photo in this post is in the Creative Commons at Wikipedia and was taken by Keith Allison.

Jane Salzano

Autism Light #176 is Jane Salzano.

Jane Salzano is a mother and also a grandmother of individuals with autism. She is also a pioneer in autism services. In 1979 she founded CSAAC (Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children) in Montgomery County, Maryland in order to meet unmet needs for services for those with autism, which she experienced first hand as a mother of a child with autism. Jane Salzano is an Autism Light for her dedicated efforts to build CSAAC into an organization that has helped hundreds of families with autism over the years. 

Jane Salzano's adult son Brian who has autism is now in his 50's. One of Jane's grandsons named Nicholas has autism as well. The following video is Jane Salzano discussing her family and her work at CSAAC.

Life-Time Achivement Award: Jane Salzano received the "Life Time Achievement Award" from the Lido Civic Club of Washington DC in January, 2011. Greetings for the award were sent on behalf of U.S. President Barack Obama, who hailed Jane Salzano for her pioneering work for autism and on behalf of the Italian Ambassador, Giulio Terzi (Source). 

CSAAC: Jane Salzano founded CSAAC in 1979 with a determination that could not be shaken.  To this day CSAAC continues to lay on the foundation set by Jane Salzano.  It has grown to be the largest provider in the United States to exclusively help adults and children with autism across their life span (Source). According to their website, CSAAC's mission is "To enable individuals with autism to achieve their highest potential and contribute as confident individuals to their community." Jane Salzano is recognized nationally as a leader in the autism services that CSAAC provides like early intervention, educational services, family support services, residential supports, and vocational supports. CSAAC's important place as a pioneer autism organization is reflected in the fact that they created the first supported employment services program of its kind in not only Maryland but also the United States (and world). For more information on the ongoing work of CSAAC visit their website at www.csaac.org.

Jane Salzano said, "I believe that every individual has a right to live in their community (see video above)." The autism world is grateful that Jane was determined to act on that belief back in 1979. Special thanks to Jane Salzano for her dedicated work on behalf of autism. Her work has provided the opportunity for hundreds of people with autism to experience independent living and joys of life that might have alluded them otherwise. Jane Salzano is an inspiration to other parents who want to make a difference and a help to parents in Montgomery County, Maryland who want to help their children with autism become independent.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Mike Frandsen

Autism Light #148 is Coach Mike Frandsen.

Mike Frandsen is a coach. But he presides over a unique team that doesn't measure their success in wins and losses. You see he is not the kind of coach you'd find working in loud arenas and under the bright lights.  Instead he devotes his time to individually coaching people with autism to reach their next goal. Mike Frandsen offers in-home tutoring and therapeutic services in the Bethesda, Maryland and Washington D.C. area geared to improve the skills of children and adults with autism in academics, social skills, sports, and life skills. Coach Mike Frandsen is an Autism Light because of the valuable help he gives to those impacted by autism.

Authentic Happiness: When Autism Light asked Coach Mike what made him want to be an Autism Coach, he said, "I believe children with autism have great potential to learn. Autism is also increasing faster than most other disabilities, so the need is there. I like the unfiltered honesty and authenticity of the kids. I like to answer kids' questions about how the world works, help them learn how to make friends, and develop a sense of humor."

Coach Mike Frandsen speaks affectionately about his work:

How could you not enjoy reading books with children, running play dates, taking kids swimming, sledding or jumping on a trampoline, coaching them in soccer, and using puppets to make them laugh? How could you not like answering their questions about how the world works? How could you not get a tremendous amount of authentic happiness from teaching a child to multiply, divide, and do word problems when at one point he couldn't add two plus two? (Source)

To read more about Coach Mike Frandsen's love for his work read an online article at the  examiner.com.

Education: Mike Frandsen earned his MBA from American University and has an MS in Education and Graduate Certificate in Autism and other Pervasive Developmental Disorders from John Hopkins University.

Methodology: While most of our Autism Lights who provide therapy do so either through the principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) or through DIR/Floortime, Mike Frandsen uses an eclectic approach. On his website he writes:

I believe a combination of ABA and DIR methods is optimal because ABA provides structure and repetitive learning based on behavioral objectives, while the DIR model focuses on relationships and interests, and teaches skills based on emotional development. Children with autism need a combination and balance of both structure and meaningfulness when they learn (Source).

Advice to Parents: Coach Mike offered this advice to Autism Light for all parents of children with autism:

Find out what your kids are most interested in and build around those things. Don't focus on the past or the future, but take things day by day. Don't set limits, but accept your kids as they are. Build friendships between your kids and their peers, and between yourselves and other parents.

Website: There are several websites for additional information on Coach Mike's life and work. would

• Official Website
• Autism articles at the Examiner.com 
• Mike's Blog 
• Mike's Photography Website

Social Media: You can follow Coach Mike's work and life at the following social media areas.

• YouTube
• Facebook

Kidney Transplant: Coach Mike has a Kidney disease and after a long pursuit of a suitable kidney donor, he received a transplant of a kidney on November 1, 2012. He is doing well in his recovery and hopes to return to his work in January, 2013.

Special thanks to Coach Mike Frandsen for being an Autism Light. The autism community is cheering and pulling for you to win your battle with kidney disease. You are awesome!

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Photo: The photo in this post is used with permission of Mike Frandsen.

Jacob Teitelbaum

Autism Light #6 is Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum.

Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum is the Medical Director of the Fibromyalgia & Fatigue Centers, Inc. His office is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland.  Known for his adept use of natural cures, he is the author of several books, including From Fatigued to Fantastic. He also is the creator of the popular and free smartphone app called Cures A-Z (formerly Natural Cures).  We have designated Dr. Teitelbaum as an Autism Light because Autism is a category on his Natural Cures A-Z app and he has some helpful research related to autism.

Recently he has noted the remarkable research about a possible connection between Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Autism.  Dr. Teitelbaum writes that,

Autism can have many triggers and causes, and also has a genetic component. Current research suggests that it is related to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia as well as hyperactivity, sharing in the causes and underlying biochemical changes.

We salute Dr. Teitelbaum for being an Autism Light. For more information about the work of Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum consult his website at www.endfatigue.com.

Social Media: You can follow the work of Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum on his Facebook page.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.