The numbers seem staggering: An estimated 1 in every 100 U.S. children is diagnosed with some form of autism spectrum disorder. Probably every single BassFan has personally, or through family and friends, experienced the effects of the disorder.
Certainly, a growing awareness of autism has led to a growing diagnosis rate, yet the
disorder still seems on a rapid rise within the newest generations. In 2007, the diagnosis rate was 1 in 150 children, by 2009 it had reached 1 in 100, and some statistics put the number closer to 1 in 92 today. So for a family with two children, the numbers point to a 1 in 50 chance of one child being touched by some form of autism.
And remember, as knowledge of the disorder grows, doctors and the public better understand that autism represents a wide spectrum of symptoms – from the rare but well-publicized savant condition, to much more common conditions like Asperger's and other social/language/speech disorders.
No matter the particular diagnosis within the autism spectrum, the result can be instantly devastating to any parent who wants nothing more than a happy, engaged child who thrives at school, seeks friends, joins sports teams and radiates a positive self-image.
Yet for parents, and particularly parents who live long distances from pediatric specialists, when a child first begins to wrestle with speech and emotion to the point where a clear problem emerges, it can be difficult to find answers. A family pediatrician well-versed in practical medicine might not recognize subtle developmental problems at very early ages. Cost becomes a huge factor. Denial from one or both parents might emerge.
Where does a parent turn?
Eli Delany's been there. He understands. And he's made it his life mission to help.
Little Buddy's Boat
Delaney is a Massachusetts bass angler just like you. He works by day as a developer and realtor. He fishes on weekends. And Luke, his 10-year-old son, is autistic.
Luke was diagnosed at 18 months. And about 5 years ago, having wrestled with many of the emotions, roadblocks, challenges and joys that come with raising an autistic child, Delany wanted to share what he'd experienced and at the same time help raise awareness. So he started something called My Little Buddy's Boat. He wrapped his bass boat in autism awareness signage to help spread the message.
The boat received significant press – it won hottest rig of the year in Bass & Walleye Boats magazine, as one example – and Delany decided to take it a step further. He thus launched his Fishin' with a Mission program. The mission: Raise awareness about autism.
In the time since, several tour pros have signed on to the mission and anglers everywhere are learning more about the disorder, how to recognize it and where to go for help.
Looking for Support
One challenge that every family faces with autism is research and support. Simply put, autism receives a mere fraction of the research and treatment dollars dedicated to other tragic childhood diseases, despite a grossly unbalanced diagnosis rate. Leukemia or muscular dystrophy, which might affect 1 in 20,000 or 25,000 children, is monetarily supported at rates in excess of 15 to 20 times that of autism, which again can affect 1 in 100 children or more.
"Autism awareness was being well-served within NASCAR circles, and with my passion for bass fishing, I thought to myself, 'Why is nobody doing this within fishing circles," Delaney said. "I wasn't a tour pro, but I was fishing a lot of local and regional events, and had for many years. I was pretty successful and I thought I could do something to promote the cause within bass-fishing circles.
"I don't know whether I thought then that it could become what it has now, but I still have higher goals for it and at this time, I want to get some real solid, national endemic and non-endemic support for the program and autism awareness. It's the fastest-growing disability within the United States."
Those are Delaney's goals, but his on-the-ground efforts are bearing immediate fruit. Again, autism awareness equals information – options for parents who seek a diagnosis, or post-diagnosis treatment and support. So Delany's Fishin' with a Mission program distributes decals to pros for boats and trucks. The decals are also available for $10 to the public, and the decal includes his website address, MyLittleBuddysBoat.com, where parents can find links to autism-support agencies, or contact Delany for advice.
"When most people think about autism, they think about the movie Rain Main," Delaney noted. "That's one form of autism that's few and far between, but there are many forms – people may have social complications and speak their minds at inappropriate times, people may be self-injurious or can't speak or have very odd, strange behaviors, or ADD, or fine and gross motor skills issues. There's a huge spectrum within autism and I want to call awareness to this within our fishing community. The idea is to get these pros and other people to put these decals on their boats, and have these decals disseminated around the country.
"I've always considered myself fortunate that I live just outside Boston with the Harvard Medical School and all the teaching hospitals," Delany added. "But I've fished in some pretty remote places, and the pros do as well. Sam and Joan who attend a remote tour stop might have a child who's not quite developing right and they have some questions. Their pediatrician just isn't sure. They need a resource to go to for some information – to find out if they need to see a developmental pediatrician, and how and where they can do that. They can go to my website from the decals, click on Autism Awareness and the links are there. They can get in touch with someone who can recommend where they should go."
According to Delany, who learned through experience with his son Luke, early intervention is the best course of treatment available right now. And autism needs to be diagnosed by a developmental pediatrician. So it's critical that potentially affected children see such a doctor as soon as possible. If there is a diagnosis, the child then gets a much quicker start on education, the parents understand the disability sooner, and it can all foster a much better outcome.
Jordon, KVD, Ike and Others
The first pro who jumped aboard with the Fishin' for a Mission program was Kelly Jordon. Then Delany's wife Deborah, a graphic designer, created the decal.
A little while later, Mike Iaconelli came aboard and placed the decal on his boat. Ike helped in other ways: For one, he cut off his beard then auctioned it for the cause.
Delany dedicates his entire boat wrap to his cause – he asks everyone else to simply apply a decal.
Last year, Kevin VanDam and Edwin Evers joined the decal ranks, followed by promises from John Crews, Shaw Grigsby, Fred Roumbanis, Gerald Swindle and Bub Tosh. Scott Martin is the latest decal displayer.
Matt Newman has helped with a rod sponsorship through his rod company, Tammy Cox at Berkley has lent support, as has Michelle Killburn at Mercury, Delany said.
It's all snowballing and BassFans are encouraged to show their support via a $10 decal purchase as well.
"It's difficult for me, a tournament fisherman, to reach out to pros and blindly ask for their support," Delany said. "That's ad space on their boats – it's how they make their living – and that's a lot to ask them when they don't ask anything of me. So I'm incredibly grateful to the guys for doing it.
"I've just been very fortunate to have the guys that I have at this point," Delany added. "Kevin VanDam speaks for himself. Fred Roumbanis has been great – he helped get me new sponsors. And Mike has tons of decals and gives them out wherever he stops, and he's helping me take this all to a much higher level. Any pro who wants a decal – all they have to do is contact me. And I want to encourage any endemic or non-endemic sponsor that would like to work with me and my efforts to contact me. I have a lot of good ideas that I think can make a real difference in helping any company's bottom line, while also benefiting kids and their families around the country affected by Autism."
Notable
> All the proceeds of the online decal sales go to benefit autism awareness. Last year Delany's nonprofit made its first donation to the New England Center for Children – a supply of lifejackets and kickboards for their aquatics program.
> Anyone with questions for Delany, or with offers to help, can email him at Eli@MyLittleBuddysBoat.com.
