For most parents, hearing your 3-year-old say “Shut up, Dad!” would be a problem. For Illinois State student Andrew Beaty and his wife, Karen, that’s progress.
Titus, their son with autism, also has apraxia of speech, a motor speech disorder. He couldn’t speak, leading to epic meltdowns over the simplest needs, like thirst.
Now, after working with speech therapists at Easter Seals of Central Illinois in Bloomington, Titus is starting to piece together words. That means fewer meltdowns—and the occasional “Shut up, Dad.”
“At Easter Seals they’ve given words to my son,” Karen said. “That’s huge.”
Titus is one of many success stories in progress at Easter Seals, which is hosting its annual Walk with Me: A Walk with Champions awareness and fundraising event Saturday, July 25, at Hancock Stadium. Along with the Beatys, our Illinois State family’s support of the event includes honorary chairs President Larry Dietz and Marlene Dietz.
Easter Seals provides services to help children and adults with disabilities and/or special needs as well as support to their families. Over 3,500 children and their families received services last year alone. Walk with Me, along with other fundraisers, helps Easter Seals offset the cost of its services.
Marlene Dietz during one of her recent visits to Easter Seals in Bloomington.
It’s a worthy investment, says Marlene Dietz, who’s spent many hours at Easter Seals in recent months, learning about families like the Beatys to become Walk with Me’s big cheerleader.
On a recent weekday afternoon, Marlene sat in on a speech therapy session for a 5-year-old girl on the autism spectrum who has a sensory processing disorder. She watched as a therapist provided 1-on-1 attention to the girl, using an array of tools—from board games to goofy glasses—to hone her articulation.
“I’ve just met so many wonderful parents and amazing children and therapists,” Marlene said. “The therapists are so patient and creative in the ways they get the children to respond to whatever it is they’re doing.”
It’s a personal cause for the Dietz family. Larry’s brother was diagnosed with polio when they were children, and Larry and Marlene’s own daughter went through speech therapy as a kid. They’ve participated in Walk with Me every year since Larry has worked at Illinois State, as part of Gannon Bates’ team.
Now, Larry and Marlene are using their personal connection to help others understand what Easter Seals provides the community, said Gina Mandros ’07, community president at Easter Seals of Central Illinois.
“They’re both very compelling individuals—kind and compassionate,” Mandros said. “Having them share our message and tell our story is invaluable to being able to raise that awareness about Easter Seals and our kids.”
The Beatys are a big part of that story.
Andrew and Karen have 11 kids, including six adopted children. Five of those adopted kids, including Titus, receive services at Easter Seals. All together, they do around 10 hours of therapy per week.
President Larry Dietz during one of his visits to Easter Seals in Bloomington.
The children, with myriad diagnoses, have made real progress, said Andrew, who is working on his doctorate in teaching and learning in the College of Education. He’s also a part-time lecturer there.
“It gives us hope that we can have some success,” he said. “Whether it’s Titus speaking, or Benjamin giving responses back, or Noah and Samuel learning life skills they’re gonna need to know, they’re all just so incredibly helpful for us. We know it’s a long road, an uphill battle, but there is hope.”
While tangible services like the Autism Diagnostic Clinic have been helpful, Karen says that the understanding she receives from Easter Seals staff is equally valuable.
“They make me feel like what I’m saying isn’t stupid,” Karen said. “I’ll tell them I don’t understand why my son is doing something, and their response is, ‘OK, it makes sense because of this and this and this.’”
The Beatys will be participating in Walk with Me for the first time this year. Their team, The Beaty Bunch, and others will rally around 24 Easter Seal “champion” kids in hopes of raising $200,000. Redbird student-athletes are again expected to participate in the event, as in previous years.
Want to help? Visit WalkWithMe.org/Bloomington to donate, join a team, or register.
Ryan Denham can be reached at rmdenha@IllinoisState.edu.
