Cogent Focus – Autism agency celebrates 25th anniversary

Today Magazine Online
Aug 5
6 min read

Updated: Aug 7

• FOCUS Center for Autism observes milestone birthday

• Editor's Note — Staying focused is considered a helpful life skill — and when this skill is applied to focusing on what truly matters, all the better •

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• People matter — husbands and wives, sons and daughters and parents, neighbors and colleagues — and those with diagnosed disorders and those considered normal •

• While not everyone is diagnosed with a clinical disorder, even a cursory glimpse of society and history reveals that all people have strengths and weaknesses, gifts and flaws, skills and idiosyncrasies — we are all, in a word, human •

• A clinical diagnosis can make a world of difference for an individual and a family, yet the same clinical diagnosis can also unjustly put a fellow human in a suffocating box — I believe this is essentially self-evident •

• A further self-evident observation, as far as I can see — the characteristics we share as human beings are more significant than the distinction between people identified with clinical disorders and those whose disorders haven't been clinically diagnosed — that is, those whose disorders appear at first glance to be less pronounced •

• What do you believe — do you think your dysfunctions are any less serious or significant than the dysfunction of a neighbor who has been diagnosed with a formally classified physical or psychological or neurodevelopmental disorder? •

• The FOCUS Center for Autism is celebrating 25 years of helping children, teenagers and young adults with autism spectrum disorder — to learn more, read on...

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By Bruce William Deckert

Editor-in-Chief • Today Online • Today Magazine

For a quarter-century, a nonprofit agency in Connecticut's Farmington Valley has aimed to provide clarity and hope for autistic youth and their families. The FOCUS Center for Autism has served countless children and teenagers and young adults since the agency was founded in 2000 by executive director Donna Swanson and associate director Fred Evans.

So the milestone computation is straightforward: The center is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025. Based in Canton, FOCUS is the home of The Fresh Start School for students 10-21 years old and related programs — including clinical autism services, a mentorship program and a summer social-skills immersion.

Autism spectrum disorder affects communication and behavior, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health aka NIH. People with the disorder tend to exhibit the following symptoms in various ways: difficulty in communication and interaction with other people, restricted interests and repetitive actions, and an impaired ability to function effectively at school and/or work.

Autism is known as a "spectrum disorder" because "there is wide variation in the type and severity of symptoms people experience," per the NIH website. Swanson offers a more concise — and appropriately focused — definition of the disorder.

"Our simple definition of autism spectrum disorder is 'creatively wired and socially challenged' because no two people on the spectrum are alike," she says. "It is truly a spectrum, and the range of impacts and supports needed are quite variable depending upon where you fall on the spectrum — and this is what makes it so hard for professionals to assess and treat."

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The autism diagnosis is widely considered a neurodevelopmental disorder — also known as a neurological disorder. A host of alphabet-soup agencies categorize autism spectrum disorder as a neurodevelopmental issue, including: the NIH, the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

Some healthcare organizations — such as the APA, CDC and WHO — make a distinction between neurodevelopmental and psychological dysfunctions, and classify autism as neurodevelopmental. However, many of these agencies also reckon that these two diagnosed conditions are sometimes comorbid — that is, they can overlap and simultaneously affect people.

The reality, of course, is that all disorders suffered by human beings — whether clinically diagnosed or undetected — are interwoven and interrelated, for we are whole people, not rigidly compartmentalized. This applies across the board to disorders in these realms: biological, emotional, mental or psychological, neurodevelopmental or neurological, social, and physical or physiological.

For anyone who questions the self-evident nature of this human-wholeness observation, consider the following logical litmus test: When someone sustains a knee injury, he or she will feel physical pain — and he or she will also likely feel emotional and psychological pain such as frustration or anger and perhaps sadness.

If that knee injury lingers and impacts someone's ability to walk pain-free, the resulting sadness could possibly become ongoing discouragement and ultimately clinical depression.

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Likewise, if someone endures a distressing relationship breakup — whether a longtime boyfriend-girlfriend romance or a long-term marriage connection — the related emotional trauma can potentially cascade and cause unwelcome physical conditions that range from annoying to frightening, such as cardiovascular issues, immune-system vulnerability, skin problems and weight fluctuation.

Another possible consequence of a relationship breakdown is described by a lesser-known medical term: takotsubo cardiomyopathy — a temporary weakening of the heart muscle that mimics a heart attack. The colloquial term for this heartrending condition is likely more familiar — broken-heart syndrome. In rare cases, this syndrome can result in more harrowing ailments: arrhythmia, a blood clot, a cardiac arrest, a stroke or an actual heart attack, among others.

The relationship scenario is just one example illustrating that human wellness and illness are a complex mixture of physical, mental and emotional factors.

In light of this whole-human dynamic, autism spectrum disorder is not only neurodevelopmental but also connected to all the intermeshed facets of the intricately conceived human puzzle. Throughout human history and across the ages, many affirm that this reflects the interconnected reality of our extraordinary and divinely designed human nature — a stunning and brilliant image-of-God blend of body, heart, mind, soul and spirit.

Indeed, a jeweler's metaphor seems appropriate: All we mere human beings are like diamonds ... beautifully designed but tragically broken and in dire need of ongoing divine restoration work.

"Our simple definition of autism spectrum disorder is 'creatively wired and socially challenged' because no two people on the spectrum are alike" — executive director Donna Swanson

Further, autism spectrum disorder is typically considered a type of intellectual and developmental disability aka IDD. Canton-based Favarh — the Arc of the Farmington Valley — is also known for effective service to the local autism and IDD population. Favarh is the Valley's chapter of the Arc, a nationwide organization that supports people with such disabilities.

A dozen years before the FOCUS Center for Autism was established, the film Rain Man introduced a generation of movie-goers to autistic savant syndrome. Rain Man won Oscars in 1988 for Best Picture and Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman). Hollywood insiders say this was the first film to portray a lead character with autism or savant syndrome.

Reports indicate that about 10% of autistic persons exhibit savant abilities, such as photographic memory, amazing musical skill and/or remarkable numeric calculation.

"Rain Man … helped people think about autism in a different way and also helped get the conversation about autism started," Swanson says. "The movie depicts one small aspect of individuals with autism spectrum disorder."

The FOCUS Center for Autism received the Business of the Year award from the Avon Chamber of Commerce in 2020 — in November 2020, the Avon and Canton COCs merged to form the Avon-Canton Chamber of Commerce. The former Simsbury and Granby COCs likewise combined to form the Granby-Simsbury Chamber of Commerce in March 2022.

For further info, visit the FOCUS website or call 860-693-8809 +

This timely Today Online feature is an enhanced and updated version of the cover story that first appeared in the April 2020 edition of Today Magazine, our monthly publication — April is National Autism Awareness Month and Autism Acceptance Month — the FOCUS Center was also spotlighted in our August 2024 cover story that celebrated the magazine's fifth anniversary

Bruce Deckert is a multi-award-winning journalist who believes all people merit awards when we leverage our God-given gifts for good

Featuring community news that matters nationwide, Today Online and Today Magazine aim to record Connecticut’s underreported upside — covering the heart of the Farmington Valley and beyond

Cogent Focus – Autism agency celebrates 25th anniversary

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