MILWAUKEE — Every day is full of unknowns for Veronica Nolden.
The Milwaukee mother of two says she is still learning something new, after raising a son and a daughter who both have autism.
Her oldest son, Branden, is 19.
His form of the disorder renders him non-verbal. Veronica says looking back, he was showing symptoms as young as a year old, but when she asked for help, she says she was often dismissed.
“It was hard, because I didn't know what to do. I didn't know who to talk to. And I was being bombarded with information. I kind of felt overwhelmed. I was in grief. I was very, very sad,” said Nolden.
That grief, she says, often consumed her, making it difficult for her to balance her needs, as well as Branden’s, which unfortunately, isn’t that uncommon.
New data from the Wisconsin Surveillance of Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities System shows that 1 in 36 8-year-old children identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2020.
That age is significant because while symptoms may present earlier in life, diagnosis rates tend to happen later in childhood.
“I'm hearing more and more that family members are seeing, ‘my godson, my grandson, my daughter, my niece are showing up differently,’” said Elizabeth Drame, Ph.D., Professor, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Digging deeper, for Black children, those rates are even higher, with 2020 marking the first time they had a higher rate of ASD than white children.
Dr. Elizabeth Drame says this recent surge in diagnosis isn’t because autism didn’t exist before in the Black community, but rather what she calls a disconnect.
“We don't want another label put on our child, right? We want our child to be seen as a child who's developing and growing and not be labeled in order to be able to access schools and things, so I think there's sometimes ideas in the Black community that may impact willingness to get a diagnosis,” said Drame.
Branden was diagnosed when he was 3.
Veronica says that fear that her son might be judged or misunderstood pushed her to fight even harder, getting him into regular and consistent therapy, ask questions and advocate for him.
“Autism has brought me out, brought my strength out, brought me out as a person,” said Nolden.
Dr. Drame says the desire to help children like Branden pushed her to dive even deeper into her research, leading to co-authoring a book with parents of children with autism, including Veronica.
Dr. Drame says her goal is that her work will one day help eliminate the stigma altogether.
“They're human beings and they deserve to live the fullest life possible,” said Drame.
As Branden and her daughter Brianca get older, Veronica says she thinks about what lies ahead for them and what life may look like.
Still, when she thinks about how far they’ve come as a family, she says she’s so proud.
“He's truly a blessing in my life. And sometimes, some parents don't say nice things about their kids on the spectrum. But, I am truly blessed to have Branden. Branden has brought so much in my life, in our lives, that I can never thank him enough,” said Nolden.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
