Welcome to our new web site!

To give our readers a chance to experience all that our new website has to offer, we have made all content freely avaiable, through October 1, 2018.

During this time, print and digital subscribers will not need to log in to view our stories or e-editions.

Run/Walk for Autism set for April 7 in Las Cruces

Posted

BY ALEXIA SEVERSON

Las Cruces Bulletin

LAS CRUCES - This year, Las Crucen Adela Huerta will participate in the Hearts for Autism Fund’s annual Run/Walk for Autism with her 8-year-old son, Alex. He was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) when he was 2 years old and has been through his fair share of therapy programs.

“We had a rough start with it,” Huerta said of the disorder. “He was nonverbal until he was 3. He did horse therapy, or hippotherapy, which helped him to talk, and then I (put him in) just about every kind of therapy I could — OT (occupational therapy), language therapy, and he is currently in ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) therapy.”

The therapy has paid off, Huerta said.

“To me, he’s a great story because he started out with nothing and now he’s talking, and he is in second grade in a regular classroom, and he’s doing great,” she said.

Huerta, who participated in the race/walk with her son last year, said she supports anything that brings awareness to ASD, a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. The Hearts for Autism event begins at 8 a.m. Sunday, April 7, at Mayfield High School, 1955 N. Valley Drive, and will include a 1-mile fun run, a 5K and a half-marathon.

All proceeds from the Run/Walk for Autism will go toward Camp New Amigos, the organization’s flagship summer program for children with ASD, said Morgan Harding, Run/Walk for Autism coordinator and former Hearts for Autism board member. Last year’s event raised about $3,500.

“(Hearts for Autism) is a nonprofit that raises money to help families with kids and adults with autism in the community to make sure they have more enriched, meaningful lives,” Harding said.

Along with Camp New Amigos, Hearts for Autism also offers programs, resources and trainings to educate families, educators and professionals living and working in the field of autism, according to the Hearts for Autism website.

Harding said the Hearts for Autism run/walk is a good way to connect with other people in the community who might be going through a similar experience with ASD, a disorder that affects about 1 in 59 children in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I think (the run/walk) helps bring awareness to our community, showing that we’re all connected, and we all have diverse abilities, and we’re all coming together for one day to take a walk in our community,” she said.

Last year’s Run/Walk for Autism attracted more than 500 people, Harding said.

HeartsforAutism2Two of those participants were Las Crucen Jennie Troy and her 11-year-old son, Dominic Trujillo, who walked the 1-mile fun run.

Troy, whose son has what is known as high-functioning autism, said for those who don’t have first-hand experience with the disorder, ASD can be difficult to understand.

“The word ‘spectrum’ seems to be a diverse spectrum of disabilities, and I think it’s hard for people to know what autism is,” she said. “Each individual is very different.”

For example, people with ASD may exhibit one or several symptoms associated with the disorder, which can include trouble learning, social communication challenges and/or restricted, repetitive behaviors, according to autismspeaks.org. Others may exhibit incredible intellectual abilities, Troy said.

ASD is also something you can’t always see or recognize, Huerta said.

“Autistic kids look normal,” Huerta said. “You get a lot of criticism because (people) think your child looks fine and they don’t understand the sensory issues that come along with autism – the loudness, the sounds, the taste, the touch – those are the things that bother the autistic child, and anything can set them off at any moment.”

Troy said she encourages people to participate in the Run/Walk for Autism because it helps foster a greater understanding of ASD.

“I think that as long as people continue to show up to events like this, the more press we’ll get and the more people will come and show their support and spread the word,” she said.

Troy said her goal at this year’s run/walk is to finish smiling.

“Last year my son had a hard time finishing just because he was tired, or he wasn’t ready or he was having a meltdown, so just to know that we finished and finished smiling – for some people just that one mile is hard.”

To register for the Hearts for Autism Run/Walk for Autism, visit runsignup.com/Race/NM/LasCruces/HeartsforAutsm. The cost to participate is $15 for the 1-mile fun run; $20 for the 5K; and $70 for the ½ marathon. Teams of 10 or more receive a $5 discount for each registered runner. Those who register before March 22 get a free race T-shirt. Registration will also be available on race day, beginning at 7 a.m., with an increased participation cost of $5.

For more information about the Hearts for Autism Fund, visit www.heartsforautismlc.com.

Alexia Severson may be contacted at alexia@lascrucesbulletin.com


X