FIVE-YEAR-OLD
Johnes Winn was properly
diagnosed with autism
spectrum disorder (ASD)
nearly a year ago. He and
his sister, Rosie, are twins.
As a first-time mom, Maree
Winn knows if she hadn’t had
Rosie to compare, she might
not have realized there were
significant delays in Johnes’
early development. He didn’t
respond when spoken to or
make eye contact, and there
was no babbling or early effort
at speech.
Early signs of trouble
“When Rosie began to scoot
and teach herself to crawl,
then stand and take her first
steps, Johnes did none of
that on his own,” Maree says.
“After he watched his sister,
only then did he pattern her
behavior.”
Johnes also had unex-
plained fits of temper. Maree
now knows they were expres-
sions of his frustration.
“I thought it was my fault,”
she says. “What I learned
from this program was
that it’s not me. The Team
taught me a different way of
understanding. They taught
me how to interact with my
child.”
Welcome support
The Winn family was the first
to go through the local ASD
Early Identification Team
program and proudly refer
to themselves as the Team’s
guinea pigs. They are still
receiving support from the
Team.
“I can’t imagine what it
would be like without this
program,” Maree says. “There
are so many steps along the
way. Every other month we
have an evaluation of where
we are and what we need
to accomplish next. That
helps keep me on task, so I
accomplish my goals.”
Making great progress
Johnes has progressed leaps
and bounds in the past
year. He went from not
communicating—not talking
at all—to full sentences, says
Maree. “Just hearing him say,
‘Mommy, can I have a drink of
milk?’—it’s so amazing to me.”
“They taught me how to interact with my child.”
—Maree Winn
A U T I S M S P E C T R U M D I S O R D E R
High hopes for the future: 5-year-old twins Johnes
and Rosie Winn. Johnes (left) was diagnosed with
autism spectrum disorder (ASD) last year thanks
to an interagency collaboration to develop an ASD
early identification program offered through the
Grande Ronde Hospital Children’s Clinic.
G R A N D E
R O N D E
H O S P I TA L
Benefit Report
Community
FISCAL YEAR 2015
Identify it early