Son-Rise for Suzie

Autism program breaks through for Tigard family

By Barbara Sherman

The Times, Jan 10, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

Jaime Valdez / The Times

SHARING A LAUGH — While reading a story, Suzie Duncan-Winn shares a laugh with her mom Bonnie Duncan, who with her husband Michael Winn works with the 7-year-old autistic child on expressing emotions

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Excitement, energy and enthusiasm are pretty much the norm at the Bull Mountain home of Bonnie and Michael Duncan-Winn, who have an autistic daughter, Suzie Noel.

Bonnie and Michael probably lavish more praise on Suzie than average parents would on their kids, but Suzie is blossoming under their system of consistency, persistency and praise.

In early December, the couple spent a week at the Option Institute, which is affiliated with the Autism Center of America in Sheffield, Mass., learning about the Son-Rise program, which teaches parents how to communicate with and improve the socialization skills of their autistic children.

The couple adopted Suzie four years ago through the Oregon state foster-care system.

Suzie had been neglected as an infant and toddler, and Bonnie recalled her first months with Suzie, now 7, as similar to tutor Anne Sullivan learning to communicate with the deaf, mute and blind Helen Keller.

Now Suzie is a regular chatterbox and an accomplished reader, but it took all of Bonnie and Michael’s wits and patience to turn her around.

“My mother was a very progressive lady,” Bonnie said. “She exposed me to a girl with Down Syndrome. Our ironing lady was deaf and dumb (mute).

“Kids who were challenged – or other-abled, which is now the politically correct expression – intrigued me. I felt empathy with them.”

Bonnie became a teacher and also got her special-education endorsement, teaching at the middle school and then the high school level in Eastern Oregon, when she was named Oregon special education teacher of the year.

So why, her friends have asked, would someone want to adopt a child – let alone one with special needs – at age 54?

“I wanted a girl,” said Bonnie, who also has two grown sons. “I am a believer in zero population growth, and I wanted to be a positive influence on a child.”

Michael had no children before he adopted Suzie, and the couple feels they were led to her after he brought home an article about the state foster-care system that featured a photo of Suzie.

“She was our angel,” Bonnie said. “But we needed to figure out how to connect with her. Twenty-seven years ago, I saw the film ‘Son-Rise’ about how a couple entered their autistic son’s world. I kind of instinctively, subconsciously knew I needed to join with Suzie and slowly integrate her into our world.

“Persistence and consistency paid off. These kids just want to control their world, so they do it in any way they can. It’s a matter of joining with them and accepting them where they are. I worked one-on-one with her, and the first four months were intense.”

Bonnie and Michael still consistently work on socialization and communication skills with Suzie, and she has been mainstreamed at Mary Woodward Elementary School.

The Duncan-Winns also have put Suzie, who as an infant was given only cow’s milk, on a specialized diet that is wheat- and dairy-free. They also take her to an enzyme specialist.

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