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Jayce and Amanda Miller.
Fundraiser set for Jayce Miller
By Cindy Miller
Last Updated: November 04, 2009
Editor's note — Jayce Miller is the son of Amanda Miller of Kanopolis and the grandson of Dave and Cindy Miller of Ellsworth.
Meet Jayce. Jayce is a fun loving 6-year-old boy who enjoys coloring, dancing, swimming and the hokey pokey. When he grows up, Jayce wants to be a doctor or a french fry.
In May, Jayce was diagnosed with autism, finally providing answers to years of questions. Jayce showed tremendous delays at a very early age and started therapy at only 5 months old. Things that other children may have learned quickly took time, effort and, even sometimes — special equipment.
We are so proud of all he has accomplished and would like — with your help — to give back to him. Although Jayce has no concept of safety and may never adapt to his environment, we can help change his environment by making it a safe place to live and play.
Nov. 14, we will be having a fundraiser to provide for Jayce's safety and daily needs. Since he is a kiddo, it seems only fitting that there should be fun and games for the children who attend.
Baked items and a garage sale also are planned.
Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person's ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum disorder" that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism, but increased awareness and funding can help families today. Recent studies suggest that 1 in 91 children (formerly 1 in 150 up until 2009 and 1 in 10,000 in the early 1990s) have autism, and of those, 1 in 58 boys have autism, making it the fastest growing developmental disability.
In Jayce's case, the disorder affects his speech, fine and gross motor, communication and social skills. It is our hearts' desire to provide the best life for Jayce. Jayce is like any other boy or girl. He has needs and wants, but can't always voice them.
Jayce is a “loner" who never really quite fits in with his peers because of eccentric behavior and his lack of speech and social skills. With help, Jayce will learn to play with his peers in an appropriate way. He is a student at Ellsworth Elementary School, where he plays with other students and works with teachers on the development of skills. It's a learning process that continues at home.
Jayce tries to have relationships with others, but lacks the understanding of how to make that happen. In his world, there is a lot of imagination playing going on. Jayce may be successful in life and we will do our best to see that he reaches his maximum potential. This will be a long journey and we are asking you to help in this journey by being aware of autism and how to make a person with autism feel comfortable in their environment. We will have new adventures all along the way.
Jayce is not the only child with autism in our community and it is our prayer that this fundraiser will raise awareness and the community will support families with children that have autism.
When: 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 14.
Where: Kanopolis Community Center.
D.D. the Clown will visit from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
Information: Amanda Miller, (785) 531-2784
or
Dave and Cindy Miller, (785) 472-4213.
Baked goods or cash donations will be accepted.
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