A little girl & Autism

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) – Autism has become a little boy’s disorder in the minds of many people. It’s true, boys are affected in larger numbers, but girls can be diagnosed as well.

Right now, only one out of five people with autism are female. With fewer voices to speak out, many of their stories are going untold. This is the story of 5-year-old Faith Crawn and her family.

When you see Faith, the first thing you’ll notice is her blue eyes, big smile and mop of curly blond hair. But look quickly, because she’s always on the go. She loves to swing or play with her little brother, Will.

But there’s another side to Faith. It can come out sporadically and sometimes last for hours. Faith doesn’t just have the “I didn’t get my way” temper tantrum, her meltdowns can be set off by anything and this is what it’s like to have a child with autism.

Faith has a form of autism called Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.

“I call it the catch all. She’s not classic autism. She’s not Aspberger’s. She’s a little bit of both,” Faith’s mother, Carol Crawn, said.

Faith was 3 when she was diagnosed with autism, but her parents said they knew something wasn’t right from the beginning.

“Before we had the diagnosis, you always keep thinking, ‘Oh, I’m just thinking wrong. Things are going to get much better. She’s going to outgrow this.’ In autism, you don’t really outgrow. I mean she’s going to outgrow some of her behaviors and traits and pick up new ones, but she’s always going to have this,” said Crawn.

Faith is Carol’s first child and her baby girl. Suddenly, the vision of your daughter being just like you flies right out the window.

“You think, ‘Oh, a little girl, we get to play dress up, we get to fix our hair all pretty maybe paint our toenails and finger nails.’ Tried that. Doesn’t work. Whereas, you know if she was typical, she may be into fixing her hair, but fixing her hair is not an option. She won’t let you touch it,” said Crawn.

Besides sensory issues, Faith’s parents are also trying to build up her social skills.

“There are autistic individuals who talk and have lots of communication. They’re just quirks about them,” said Crawn.

And Faith does have quirks. She loves jumping up and down because she likes the pressure on her body. And those melt-downs, having one at home is one thing, but having one in public? That’s just physically and emotionally exhausting for Faith and Carol.

“We’ve been at the grocery store before and a lady said ‘You should just leave. She’s acting uncontrollable.’ And I just looked at her and said you just need to look up and research autism,” said Crawn.

But instead she judged and maybe you would have too. But now you know. Sometimes behind the smiles and the melt downs lies a much deeper story.