CAMBRIDGE, OH — Of all the monthly designations, April’s Autism Awareness has never been necessary for my family. We had to embrace autism every minute of every day after my son, Matthew, was diagnosed as autistic. The part of Matt’s diagnosis that proved most painful were the words “severely and profoundly.”
That description sentenced Matt to a life where he would never be able to verbally communicate. His mother, Peggy, studied early childhood development as a college major. Coupled with being smarter than anyone I ever met except for the late Rick Dupuy, Peggy recognized autistic symptoms when Matt approached his third birthday.
His 75 word vocabulary disappeared. He quit making eye contact when we spoke to him. Our family physician refused to believe the diagnosis at first because it was such a rare occurrence at that time. When the doctors at the Cleveland Clinic verified our worst fears, the dynamics of our family completely changed and would continue changing throughout Matt’s life.
With his mother’s passing and his three sisters living far away, that change has now reduced itself to Matt and me. He now resides full time at the Cambridge Developmental Center (CDC) in Cambridge, Ohio. I try to visit once a week for our never changing KFC/Salt Fork State Park adventures. The only variance to our visit days is when I bring my boat for a day going 60 miles per hour across Seneca Lake. Besides the pop machine at the marina, the only thing Matt would change is making my bass boat go 80 miles per hour over the wakes of other boats.
Matt’s caregivers at the CDC are nothing short of amazing. The staff at the Cambridge KFC treats us like royalty when we enter as soon as their doors are unlocked at 10:30. In reality, they unlock the door as soon we appear. The people working at Stillion’s Drive Thru on Route 22 have Matt’s order memorized. We may even add the staff at the Salt Fork State Park office if I can persuade Matt to add this unscheduled stop to our itinerary. Matt and I are so blessed to have people in our lives who do not need a designated month to share a little hospitality his way.
For everyone participating in April’s Autism Awareness events, thank you for making time in your busy lives. For the parents of autistic children, your struggle is versus a condition that has no answer to its puzzle. The pieces of the puzzle that make my son the happiest are three chicken tenders, fries, and a small container of corn to go with his diet Mountain Dew. Throw in a Three Musketeer or Milky Way candy bar and Matt is having a great day. And so am I.
As soon as warm sunshine is on the playlist for this spring and summer, I will add a puzzle piece that looks exactly like a Skeeter bass boat. My visits with Matt are always a struggle for me. I have to accept he will never have a life experience that most of us take for granted. However, the days I spend with Matt are always victories. The last part of our day before he returns to Brown Cottage on the CDC campus is the hug we share.
Please take time to participate in an Autism Awareness event in your community, and God bless the people of Guernsey County who mean so much to Matt and me.
Doug Clifford
Submitted to the Perry County Tribune
April 10, 2025