WHEN AUTISM SPEAKS: STEPHEN’S STORY

Stephen Lepore: A young man that has made the best of his
high school years despite a disability.

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March 21, 2017 - St. Lucie West, FL - At Age two Stephen Lepore was just like any other toddler, talking up a storm, singing the theme song to Barney and just enjoying life. While his mother, Kathleen, was off at work he would hang out with his father. When his father was working it was mommy time for this St. Lucie West family of three.

Yet not long after Stephen turned two something changed; he just stopped talking and became very withdrawn.

“It was as if a light switch had been flipped off”, says his mother.

The transformation from happy go lucky bouncing baby boy to a child reserved and secluded, often staring at nothing and with a blank look on his face was startling to Kathleen and husband, Glen. They did not know what to think or what to do.

Medical professionals diagnosed Stephen with  Autistic Disorder, something the Lepore's knew nothing about which was quite scary for a young mother and father.

In 2013 the American Psychiatric Association grouped together Autistic Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-not oherwise specified and Asperger syndrome under a single diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated that as many as 1 in 68 children suffer from some form of ASD which is much more prevalent in boys (1 in 42) than in girls (1 in 189).

However, 17 years ago, little was known about ASD.

Yet this did not stop the Lepore family for doing everything they could for their bundle of joy.

“It sure was not easy. We went everywhere, did everything and saw just about every specialist we could find. We pulled all our resources together. We were not going to let this thing beat us or get the best of our child”, said Kathleen.

Kathleen and Glen became not just advocates for their son, but super advocates.

They started by enrolling Stephen in intensive speech therapy to try and get him talking again. And it worked. By age five Stephen was talking and communicating again, although not to the same extent as other five-year old’s. However, it was a positive sign and a huge improvement over the past three years of almost total silence.

His mother and father attribute the turnaround to the efforts of Mrs. Melissa Whalen, who led Stephen’s Intensive Behavior Class at Savana Ridge Elementary School in Port St. Lucie. Not only did Mrs. Whalen teach Stephen his first words, but she taught him sign language as well.

While a student in their specialized Autism Spectrum Disorder Unit at Palm Point Educational Research School another teacher Ms. Katie Malloy, encouraged the family to consider placing Stephen in some non-contained classes such as Choir and Drama. Children with disabilities may often be placed in contained classes apart from the general education population at their school due to the additional resources that they require.

Kathleen and Glen agreed and Stephen not only took part in a school play but he remembered all 120 of his lines and those of the other children as well.

“I knew Stephen would be a special young man, not just because of his disability but because of his ability”,   says Mrs. Malloy.

 St. Lucie County School Board Vice Chairwoman, Dr. Donna Mills
 speaks with SLW Centennial HS Principal Andrea Popwell
 at the 2nd Annual St. Lucie Unified Games held
at Lawnwood Stadium on Wednesday, March 8th.

When Stephen moved on to high school he didn't just move to a new school, he moved out of his comfort zone, out of what was normal for him, a process which can be very daunting for many individuals diagnosed with a disability, especially those diagnosed with ASD. But he made no hesitation to give his new situation a chance. Yes, he struggled at first (as many first-year high school students do), adapting to a new school, a new routine, new teachers, and many new classmates, however, he continued to do what he does best, smile and enjoy every second he can. He quickly made friends and became adapted to his new routine, fully buying into what was expected of him and what he knew he could accomplish, according to Mrs. Malloy.

“Stephen is a young man that has made the best of his high school years. He is an active participant in the Unified Special Olympics where he excels as a sprinter and is a key member of the Television Production Program where he writes, produces and anchors the morning news program, said Ms. Andrea Popwell, the Principal at St. Lucie West Centennial High School.

Stephen is a key member of the Television Production Program

 where he writes, produces and anchors the morning news

 program at St. Lucie West Centennial High School.

Through the years, the family refused to give in or give up hope. And now 17 years after showing his first signs of ASD, Stephen is set to graduate from Centennial in just a couple of months, with not just a 2.6 GPA, but also with a Standard High School Diploma, a huge accomplishment not just for Stephen, but for the teachers, classroom aides and administrators that have unselfishly stood by him throughout his elementary, middle and high school years.

Stephen Lepore has set the standard for students with disabilities to be educated in the least restrictive environment, in St. Lucie County,  by not just breaking down the barriers that needlessly label people with disabilities, but breaking through them.

It’s these barriers that parents such as the Lepore’s seek to make a thing of the past by energizing, enabling and strongly advocating on behalf of their children.

With the help of a school system that is in the middle of a massive turnaround, these barriers will come crumbling down sooner rather than later All to the thanks of not only teachers and school system employees but to super advocates like the Lepore’s who refused to give up when the going got tough!

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