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Help send autistic twins to camp Friends of Newberg single mom spearheads efforts to make summer camp a reality for kids Amanda Newman May 02, 2008 Devyn and Jordan Brownridge are, in many respects, your typical 6-year-olds. "They're both cute as buttons and they love being outdoors and they love to play," said their mother, Kerry Brownridge. They attend school each day, and they love to go to McDonald's. But while many mothers may think taking their children out in public is a challenge, few face a situation like this one: both Jordan and Devyn have autistic spectrum disorders. Devyn, who has a milder disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, is high functioning and can carry on a conversation, although she has thought-processing issues and tends to take things too literally. Jordan, on the other hand, has full-fledged autistic symptoms: he is nonverbal and communicates with grunts, shrieks and gestures. As a single mother of autistic twins (her husband left three months after the children were diagnosed at age 2), Kerry Brownridge's biggest challenge is "not having enough hands." The two children react to different things, but also feed off of each other, so that if one is set off, Brownridge can quickly find herself with an unmanageable situation. When one child wants to go on an outing, Brownridge often faces three options: find someone to stay with the other child, nix the excursion, or, as with the weekly McDonald's trips, take both children along and hope for the best. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. "Patience has never been an issue - God gave me what he gave me," she said. Still, hiring capable baby-sitters is a challenging expense for the former nurse, who has been unable to return to her field since her pregnancy and now works out of her home. The children's outside activities are often limited and Brownridge worries about the future. "I actually foresee things growing less difficult with my daughter," she said, adding that she hopes Devyn will, one day, be able to go off to college and function on her own. "But I do worry about my son." She said that while they may improve as children, boys often relapse in their teen years, and can become very aggressive. "Sometimes it can be very challenging, and I do worry if I'll be able to keep him with me or if I'll have to place him somewhere," she said. For Jordan, who is not yet potty trained and will probably never be able to live on his own, it's a valid concern. So when, upon Googling "activities for children with autism," she discovered the Autistic Children's Activity Program (ACAP), it seemed a godsend. The Portland-based educational and recreational summer program is taught by professionals and geared specifically toward autistic children. Over the eight-week course, the children go on a field trip every day: to the zoo, OMSI, a children's museum, parks, businesses and restaurants. The children are individually assessed and placed in classes based on their development and skills levels. The program combines social and sensory training with educational classes and uses hands-on experiences to teach life skills such as how to stand in line, place an order, or read a sign. "This is something that will give them intensive social benefits all summer long," Brownridge said, explaining that although they learn similar things in school (Jordan is in a life skills program at Dundee Elementary and Devyn attends an intensive program at Mabel Rush), they can regress over the summer. So she sent in an application. Tuition is high - even for the part-time, 3-day-a-week program, it will run about $5,000 for the two children - and she knew she probably wouldn't be able to manage it on her own. So in November, she sent out an e-mail to friends, letting them know about the opportunity and asking for prayers. Enter Carrie Palmore. Palmore, who attends GodSong Community Church with Brownridge, discussed the issue with her family and wanted to find a way to help the Brownridges. When she was diagnosed with cancer in December, the idea fell to the wayside. But a couple weeks ago, it resurfaced. "I was watching `Oprah's Big Give,' thinking, I've gotta do something (to help people)," Palmore said. Inspired by the show, she asked Brownridge if she had gotten any further with sending her children to the camp. "I (had) kind of let it go, because I had not heard back from the (camp) program," Brownridge said. No worries, Palmore told her. Within half an hour of their meeting, Brownridge received the applications from the program. "I firmly believe God intervened," she said. Meanwhile, Palmore got into gear on the fund-raising. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing, but I feel in my heart that I'm supposed to be doing something," she said. She started by talking to her pastors and addressed the church body April 20. GodSong got behind the effort and the church's children's program planned to hold a quarter drive as a fund-raiser. Palmore began to contact anyone and everyone she knew. "If this camp can give them some skills and make their lives easier, it will make Kerry's life easier," Palmore said, explaining that Brownridge has to "keep herself in a poverty level job" to qualify for extra benefits for the children. "I'm really grateful (to Carrie)," Brownridge said. "She's been kicking butt all over town!" "My next step is knocking on people's doors," said Palmore. Even though that will take her out of her comfort zone, she's prepared to make the leap. "Newberg has an opportunity right now to give and make a difference in not just one person's life, but in a whole family's life," she said. To contribute to the camp fund, call Palmore at 503-415-0631. All donations must be received by June 1.

Help send autistic twins to camp

Friends of Newberg single mom spearheads efforts to make summer camp a reality for kids

Amanda Newman

May 02, 2008

Devyn and Jordan Brownridge are, in many respects, your typical 6-year-olds.

"They're both cute as buttons and they love being outdoors and they love to play," said their mother, Kerry Brownridge.

They attend school each day, and they love to go to McDonald's. But while many mothers may think taking their children out in public is a challenge, few face a situation like this one: both Jordan and Devyn have autistic spectrum disorders.

Devyn, who has a milder disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, is high functioning and can carry on a conversation, although she has thought-processing issues and tends to take things too literally. Jordan, on the other hand, has full-fledged autistic symptoms: he is nonverbal and communicates with grunts, shrieks and gestures.

As a single mother of autistic twins (her husband left three months after the children were diagnosed at age 2), Kerry Brownridge's biggest challenge is "not having enough hands." The two children react to different things, but also feed off of each other, so that if one is set off, Brownridge can quickly find herself with an unmanageable situation.

When one child wants to go on an outing, Brownridge often faces three options: find someone to stay with the other child, nix the excursion, or, as with the weekly McDonald's trips, take both children along and hope for the best. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't.

"Patience has never been an issue - God gave me what he gave me," she said. Still, hiring capable baby-sitters is a challenging expense for the former nurse, who has been unable to return to her field since her pregnancy and now works out of her home. The children's outside activities are often limited and Brownridge worries about the future.

"I actually foresee things growing less difficult with my daughter," she said, adding that she hopes Devyn will, one day, be able to go off to college and function on her own. "But I do worry about my son."

She said that while they may improve as children, boys often relapse in their teen years, and can become very aggressive. "Sometimes it can be very challenging, and I do worry if I'll be able to keep him with me or if I'll have to place him somewhere," she said. For Jordan, who is not yet potty trained and will probably never be able to live on his own, it's a valid concern.

So when, upon Googling "activities for children with autism," she discovered the Autistic Children's Activity Program (ACAP), it seemed a godsend.

The Portland-based educational and recreational summer program is taught by professionals and geared specifically toward autistic children. Over the eight-week course, the children go on a field trip every day: to the zoo, OMSI, a children's museum, parks, businesses and restaurants.

The children are individually assessed and placed in classes based on their development and skills levels. The program combines social and sensory training with educational classes and uses hands-on experiences to teach life skills such as how to stand in line, place an order, or read a sign.

"This is something that will give them intensive social benefits all summer long," Brownridge said, explaining that although they learn similar things in school (Jordan is in a life skills program at Dundee Elementary and Devyn attends an intensive program at Mabel Rush), they can regress over the summer.

So she sent in an application. Tuition is high - even for the part-time, 3-day-a-week program, it will run about $5,000 for the two children - and she knew she probably wouldn't be able to manage it on her own. So in November, she sent out an e-mail to friends, letting them know about the opportunity and asking for prayers.

Enter Carrie Palmore.

Palmore, who attends GodSong Community Church with Brownridge, discussed the issue with her family and wanted to find a way to help the Brownridges. When she was diagnosed with cancer in December, the idea fell to the wayside. But a couple weeks ago, it resurfaced.

"I was watching `Oprah's Big Give,' thinking, I've gotta do something (to help people)," Palmore said. Inspired by the show, she asked Brownridge if she had gotten any further with sending her children to the camp.

"I (had) kind of let it go, because I had not heard back from the (camp) program," Brownridge said. No worries, Palmore told her. Within half an hour of their meeting, Brownridge received the applications from the program. "I firmly believe God intervened," she said.

Meanwhile, Palmore got into gear on the fund-raising. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing, but I feel in my heart that I'm supposed to be doing something," she said. She started by talking to her pastors and addressed the church body April 20. GodSong got behind the effort and the church's children's program planned to hold a quarter drive as a fund-raiser. Palmore began to contact anyone and everyone she knew.

"If this camp can give them some skills and make their lives easier, it will make Kerry's life easier," Palmore said, explaining that Brownridge has to "keep herself in a poverty level job" to qualify for extra benefits for the children.

"I'm really grateful (to Carrie)," Brownridge said. "She's been kicking butt all over town!"

"My next step is knocking on people's doors," said Palmore. Even though that will take her out of her comfort zone, she's prepared to make the leap. "Newberg has an opportunity right now to give and make a difference in not just one person's life, but in a whole family's life," she said.

To contribute to the camp fund, call Palmore at 503-415-0631. All donations must be received by June 1.