KALAMAZOO, MI Tom Pinto, 22, keeps a digital camera in his pocket to snap shots of chicken, goat and horse at Tillers International, where he receives weekly therapy for autism on a farm with Dr. Liz Farner.
Farner said she jokingly calls Pinto "The Cow Whisperer" because he walks right up to the cows, which always scurry away when she gets too close, but they often migrate closer to him.
He can make all the noises and talks right back to them, said Farner, 51, who has been using farm therapy with patients since 2000. Its a good fit, people with autism seem to really blossom on the farm.
Pintos mother, Catherine, said spending time with farm animals is not only an effective therapy for Tom, but it also gives her adult son with autism a way to contribute to the community by collecting freshly laid eggs and helping cultivate locally grown plants.
To open this opportunity to others, Catherine and Cindy Semark, both Kalamazoo mothers of adults with autism, are forming an organization designed to give adults diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder the option to live and work in an agricultural community in Kalamazoo County.
The founders of AACORN Farm -- Autism Agricultural Community Option for Residential Needs -- are currently waiting to become a tax-exempt, non-profit organization, which will raise money, build and operate a permanent-housing farm community for adults with autism in Kalamazoo County.
Autism has been diagnosed in more than 50,000 people in Michigan, of which 16,000 are children. The Michigan Autism Program and a government council were established last year, and the states first Autism Insurance Reform legislation (PA 99 and PA 100 of 2012) went into effect on October 15, 2012.
On April 1, the first day of National Autism Awareness Month,Michigan began providing coverage for applied behavior analysis services for young children with autism through Medicaid and MIChild programs. It is expected to include services for children from 18 months through age 5 with a diagnosis of autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder or other pervasive developmental disorders.
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Its our goal in a few years to have a fully functioning farm where adults with autism can come to live, work and have leisure activities, said Catherine Pinto, of Kalamazoo. We want the farm to be part of the community, adding an option here for adults with autism because right now, for young people like my son who have fairly moderate cases, they can never live without supervision.
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Adults with autism may have future opportunity with AACORN Farm, being cultivated by two Kalamazoo mothers