Beyond ‘Rain Man,’ twins with autism thrive in the real world

Most of what Jeremy Couture knew about autism came from the movie “Rain Man.” So when he learned his twin sons had autism, he feared for their future.

“It was a very depressing diagnosis,” he said. “I knew it was incurable. I thought it was going to be severe and never improve.”

Jeremy said his wife, Heidi Couture, also took the news hard. The O’Fallon couple spent the next two days educating themselves about autism. They quickly realized that the autism spectrum encompassed a much wider range of developmental disorders than the very severe ones dramatized in “Rain Man.”

Matthew Couture and William Couture were born in 2005, one month premature. At first, the boys did not exhibit serious problems. They were a little slow to crawl, and slow in learning to walk, but that was not uncommon among premature children, Jeremy said.

As the boys finished their second year, it became obvious that they were behind in speaking – especially William, who was not making eye contact.

Jeremy said the twins displayed behavior associated with obsessive compulsive disorder. “William would stay focused on a particular toy,” he said. “Matt would get very upset at sudden noises, or seeing certain stuffed animals.”

The brothers engaged in “parallel play,” Jeremy said. They would play near each other, but would not play with each other.

On May 30, 2007, a pediatric neurologist diagnosed William and Matthew with autism spectrum disorder. A few days later, Jeremy and Heidi contacted United Services for Children.

The Missouri Department of Mental Health had referred the Coutures to the nonprofit agency. Founded in 1975, United Services for Children operates two pediatric therapy and developmental learning centers in St. Charles County.

Matthew and William enrolled in preschool and physical, speech and occupational therapy programs at United Services’ west center in Dardenne Prairie. They spent one year there before moving to United Services’ east center in St. Peters, where they remained through spring 2010.

At the St. Peters center, the boys entered the Intensive Behavior Intervention Classroom (IBIC) program, which provides one-on-one educational services for children ages 3–5 years who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental disabilities, or children who need a highly structured learning environment.

Jeremy said the twins made rapid progress in the more intensive program. William, who had not been able to speak, developed a small vocabulary. He and Matthew became more adept at physical activity, like playing on slides and climbing ladders. The boys learned to feed themselves using utensils and became more self-sufficient. At home, the Coutures noticed their sons were better able to complete tasks, follow directions and socialize.

Julia Crutchfield-Keeven, IBIC program manager, worked with the boys as a speech language pathologist. She was part of a team that included behavior specialists, therapists, and a special education teacher. Crutchfield-Keeven said they boys entered the program with very few language skills and little social interaction.

“They weren’t looking at anyone, they were not playing near other people,” she said. “They didn’t really have a relationship together. They did not exist to each other.”

The therapists placed the boys in situations where they had to acknowledge each other and share things. They helped the boys build friendships and interact with other children.

By the time the boys graduated from United Services and entered kindergarten in the Fort Zumwalt School District, they had learned how to process information like typically developing children. This enabled them to become mainstreamed at their new school, learning in a general education curriculum environment.

“They are a success story,” Crutchfield-Keeven said. “They started as unengaged, nonverbal children. They left the agency being more social and able to learn in a more typical setting.”

Jeremy Couture said he and his wife Heidi formed strong bonds with the therapists, teachers and aides at United Services for Children, even using some to babysit their boys to this day.

William and Matthew are now in third grade at Rock Creek Elementary School in the Fort Zumwalt district. They spend most of their time in a regular classroom with typically developing children. Though they still cope with challenges in socializing and interaction, they boys are well-liked by their peers and doing well academically, Jeremy said.

“The day they got the diagnosis, I wouldn’t have thought that was possible, that you could have two kids doing well and living in the regular world like anyone else,” he said.

The initial autism diagnosis turned his family’s lives upside down, Jeremy said. But the teachers and therapists at United Services helped them move beyond the diagnosis.

“As a parent of autistic children, you need to mourn the loss of the kids you thought you’d have and eventually move on to accepting your kids for who they are—unique individuals with gifts and challenges, like any other kid.”

Jeremy will be one of the guest speakers at the second annual Exploring the Spectrum autism information fair, presented by United Services for Children. The program runs 8:30 a.m. to noon, April 5, at Spencer Road Library Community Commons, located at 427 Spencer Road in St. Peters. Admission is free. No registration is required.

The event, which kicks off National Autism Awareness Month, will feature two panel discussions. The first, with Jeremy, will include adults with autism and parents of children with autism, talking about their personal experiences. The second panel will be a Q&A with autism physicians from Mercy, Cardinal Glennon and Washington University health systems. The autism fair will also include breakout sessions by autism therapists and information tables from autism organizations and service providers.

For more information, visit www.unitedservicesforchildren.org, contact Raymond Castile at rcastile@unitedsrvcs.org, or call 636-926-2700, ext. 101.