Autism Dads

In 1956 Dr. Bernard Rimland and his wife, Gloria, happily welcomed their firstborn son, Mark. But there were serious problems.

The baby slept in spurts and cried for hours. He insisted on sameness and got upset when his mother wore something other than a particular dress with a particular pattern. He rarely made eye contact. The Rimland’s pediatrician had no idea what was wrong.

The couple ultimately diagnosed their son themselves. Mark was autistic. It was then a rare condition, affecting one-in-10,000. “It was as though a monster had seized my son and I was determined to track it down and slay it,” remembers Dr. Rimland.

He made autism his life’s work, becoming an expert on the baffling disorder, writing a landmark book and creating the Autism Research Institute in his hometown of San Diego. Dr. Rimland was also the chief consultant on the film, “Rain Man.” Now 47, Mark Rimland is a renowned artist and was one of several autistic adults Dustin Hoffman studied for his performance.

Fast-forward nearly fifty years.

The incidence of autism is now around one-in-500. The numbers of new cases have doubled in California in the past four years alone, according to a new study by the state Department of Developmental Services. That’s added to already-skyrocketing numbers that nearly quadrupled in the previous eleven years—from 1987 to 1998.

10-year-old “Chas” is part of the epidemic of autism. Chuck and Sarah Gardner’s only son, Chas was an alert, happy baby. Then, slowly, he started regressing. “It goes away gradually until one day you notice that he doesn’t say ‘duck’ anymore or wave ‘bye-bye’ or imitate me anymore. Then it dawns on you that he’s not developing. He’s going backwards,” says Chuck Gardner.

When 12-year-old son, Russell was first diagnosed around ten years ago, his parents, Rick and Janna Rollens were warned that their son would have to be institutionalized. “The despair and the heartache that we dealt with during that period was beyond description,” remembers Rollens. Neither Russell or Chas can speak. They communicate through sounds, squeals and some sign language. Like many autistic children, they’re oblivious to danger.

No one knows what causes autism or why it’s an epidemic. But Gardner, Rollens and two other “ordinary” fathers of autistic sons, Dr. Lou Vismara and Rick Hayes, were determined to “do what dads do”—fix things.

Banding together, they raised enough funding and enough consciousness to become the “founding fathers” of a unique facility—the M.I.N.D. Institute at U.C. Davis Medical Center near Sacramento—a Manhattan Project for autism research and treatment. It’s something Dr. Rimland could never have imagined when his son was young.

The dads shrug off accolades on their accomplishment. “The only thing I want is to be able to carry on a conversation with my son. That’s the legacy I’m after,” says Gardner.

To telephone the Autism Research Institute, please dial (619) 281-7165.