Student documents life with autism, wins award
By Michael Picarella
pic@theacorn.com

On Sept. 5, 1988, Darrel and Nina Priebe became the proud parents of their second child, a son named Kyle. He was a healthy baby who seemed to be developing normally. Kyle learned to count and could even list all the letters in the alphabet by the time he was 2, his parents said.

But according to Darrel Priebe, "As an infant, we saw unusual behaviors … We didn’t think anything of it."

During his second year of life, Kyle lost his ability to speak and understand language. He was diagnosed with autism, Priebe said, and the unusual behaviors he had been displaying began to make sense.

Autism is a developmental neurological disorder that affects areas of functioning in the brain. Experts say anyone can be born with it.

Before Kyle was diagnosed with autism, the Priebe family would go to the beach and Kyle would constantly scream.

"We couldn’t figure out why he was so unhappy," said Priebe, a school psychologist in Simi Valley. "Now, looking back in retrospect, we realize his sensory system was messed up—that’s another symptom of autism. Whatever made him scream, whether it was the sound of the surf in the background, the moisture or the salt air, it really upset him."

As a result of his condition, Kyle had to be taught his language skills all over again. According to his parents, Kyle’s daily struggle to speak his mind and comprehend the world around him was intense.

"I tried to get him to sit down and watch a romantic movie, something like ‘Sleepless in Seattle,’" Priebe said. "I had to explain a lot of what was going on. . . . I had to explain the motives of the characters. It’s still hard for Kyle to grasp all of that."

Kyle, who is now a ninth-grader at Newbury Park High School, wanted to give a second viewing to the Walt Disney cartoons he enjoyed as a child. He examined the characters so he could learn their motivations and their relationships.

Recently, he began expressing himself in ways that he never knew he could.

"At the beginning of December, I said, ‘Kyle, it’d be really good if you had a gift to give to people this year,’" Priebe said. "Kyle doesn’t like spending his money on gifts—you might call him thrifty or you might call him cheap. So I said, ‘Look, you don’t like spending money on gifts, so why don’t you make something for everyone?’"

Priebe, who is a home video enthusiast with his own editing software, suggested making a movie starring Kyle.

"He said, ‘Yeah, a movie.’ And then he pops out with the title, ‘My Life as an Autistic Boy,’" Priebe said.

Kyle and his dad produced the movie and put it on a DVD to give to the family at Christmas.

"There’s a part of him that wants to be popular and accepted—he calls it being famous," Priebe said. "He saw the movie as a way to accomplish that."

The movie is approximately 20 minutes and it documents Kyle’s life from birth until December 2003. "My Life as an Autistic Boy," narrated by Kyle himself, explains the day-to-day living of an autistic child and how Kyle and his family have learned to cope.

Priebe said the movie-making process proved rewarding.

"It was neat to go back and look at Kyle’s life in perspective," Priebe said. "We talked about what would go into the movie. I asked him if there were parts about autism that he liked. I asked him what parts were okay and what parts were hard for him ... We tried to remember some of the stories and the issues and the problems."

Kyle screened "My Life as an Autistic Boy" last Christmas and his family loved it.

"Kyle was very anxious when we showed it," Priebe said. "I had to keep telling him that everyone would love it." The family gave their son a standing ovation.

"He felt so good about it," Priebe said. "It really helped him overcome the anxiety about people not liking him because of hisautism."

Priebe and his wife later nominated their son for the national Temple Grandin Award from Future Horizons, Inc. Future Horizons, a publishing company specializing in books about autism, awards those individuals with autism or Asperger’s Syndrome who have made an outstanding contribution to family, community and self.

Kyle won the award.

"My Life as an Autistic Boy" has since become a hit. Parents of autistic children and teachers who conduct courses in autism have requested the DVD so they can learn from Kyle’s experiences.

Doctors say approximately one of every 500 babies in the world is born with autism. The disorder is permanent. There is no cure and the symptoms change over time as the individual matures and learns. Doctors are unable to pinpoint the cause of it, Priebe said.

As part of his job, Priebe works with special education kids including those with autism. His experience with Kyle has enriched his work, he said.

Kyle received a 3.5 grade point average from Redwood Middle School in Thousand Oaks and has received awards for outstanding citizenship, math achievement and school attendance. He also earned a blue belt in karate.

Today, Kyle is striving to be like other teenagers. He has a crush on a girl and has many friends both autistic and neuro-typical. He says he enjoys bowling, playing video games and watching romantic movies.

But it hasn’t been easy.

Kyle’s life as an autistic boy has been a special journey indeed.

Those interested in watching Kyle’s movie can contact him via e-mail at kylepriebe@yahoo.com.