Autism is a diagnosis Sheletta Brundidge has received for three of her four children.
When her kids were in kindergarten, Brundidge was told her daughter, Cameron, in kindergarten at the time, was deaf and may not speak. She was also told to keep expectations for her son, Brandon, very low.
“They told me the best we could do was put Brandon in a group home when he turned 14,” Brundidge recalled.
Those who know Brundidge, a WCCO Radio host, podcaster, and owner of her own production company, ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.com, know she doesn’t accept limits. “I’m constantly telling their story because I want folks to know things will get better,” Brundidge added.
Brundidge says her message is especially important during Autism Awareness Month, when spreading the word about resources and fighting stigma is paramount. She says hope is critical too, and her children’s stories offer just that.
Today, Brandon, who is in eighth grade, and Cameron, in seventh, have speaking roles in the play at Cottage Grove Middle School. They are on the speech team and are both published authors, writing about their autism experiences in Brandon’s book, “Brandon Spots a Sign,” and Cameron’s tale, “Cameron Goes to School”.
If you sit down with Brandon and Cameron, you will notice them giggling and playfully teasing each other like typical teenagers. The kids doctors feared wouldn’t talk, don’t stop talking now. It wasn’t easy to get there, though.
After her kids’ autism diagnoses, Brundidge and her family moved to Minnesota because the wait for services in Houston, where they lived, was 10 years. In Minnesota, it was 7 to 10 months. They started working with the team at Family Achievement Center in Woodbury.
“Both kids were not talking when I met them,” said Jana Smith, M.A., CCC-SLP, speech therapy manager at Family Achievement Center.
“I didn’t talk at all when I was in kindergarten and first grade,” Cameron recalled. “The teachers thought I was deaf.”
For Brandon, big emotions controlled him. “It was hard trying not to overreact or cry,” Brandon recalled. He said one presentation in front of his peers would send him running out of the classroom crying.
Smith said play-based therapy and consistent work resulted in big changes.
“They went from not talking to blowing us away with their communication skills,” Smith added. By 2020, she said both Cameron and Brandon met their therapy goals.
“When I stopped working with them, it was full conversations they were having and doing well in school,” Smith recalled.
Brundidge says therapy was one piece of the puzzle, but she also credits her higher power. “It’s a miracle,” Brundidge said. “They are walking, living testaments to the power of prayer.”
Now Brandon and Cameron have speaking roles in “Matilda Jr.”, their school play. “I have never really seen them show signs of stage fright,” said Nick McGraw, choir and theater director at Cottage Grove Middle School. “In all honesty, this hasn’t necessarily seemed more difficult for them than anyone in the cast.”
The idea that Cameron and Brandon seem just like the other kids is the ultimate victory, but one that came with quite a fight.
“You just have to find your village and your team and believe things can get better,” Smith added.
Brundidge agreed, you have to keep the faith. “I just want parents to know that when they get that autism diagnosis, it’s not the end, it’s the beginning. There is hope.”
