Amazing Me support group battles frustration

By Nora Firestone

Correspondent

LYNNHAVEN

Eve Burton Poteet has run the developmental gamut with her son, Joshie Burton.

Since she detected delays in his communication abilities as an infant, they've seen numerous doctors, specialists and speech and behavioral therapists throughout Hampton Roads and Maryland.

From "he'll catch up" to "he's a bit different from the other children" to "looks like autism," Burton Poteet said she's heard myriad diagnoses.

"You can imagine a parent's frustration," the Windsor Woods woman said.

That's what spurred formation of Amazing Me. During monthly meetings at Atlantic Speech Therapy on First Colonial Road, Hampton Roads parents of children with any type of communication delay can meet for support, informational updates and to plan monthly outings. The outings foster socialization and fun among children with similar interests and struggles.

Eventually, Joshie, 4, was diagnosed with semantic-pragmatic disorder, or SPD.

Experts regard SPD as a developmental disorder marked by difficulty processing the meanings underlying communications. Many children, such as Joshie, can "echo" phrases and sentences but have trouble articulating original thoughts.

SPD is closely associated with pervasive developmental disorders. These are characterized by delays in development of socialization and communication skills, and are typically evident within the first three years of life, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Symptoms often include complications with language use and comprehension, and difficulty relating to people, objects and events.

Autism is the best-studied pervasive developmental disorder.

Joshie's not always well-received by his peers, said his father, David Burton. Often, such children are left out of peer circles, teased and victimized.

"We see it from Joshie's perspective," Burton said.

Due to discrepancies between communication skills and actual intelligence, Joshie tries to befriend children who are either much younger or much older than himself, often evoking "inappropriate responses," Burton explained.

"No matter how much parents love their children...it's not the same as a peer-to-peer relationship," said Burton Poteet, 33.

Speech is essential to that relationship, she said, and early intervention can make a marked difference.

While each child may require individualized developmental treatment, Burton Poteet, a pediatric nurse, sees a way to enhance socialization - for children and for their parents.

She recently established Amazing Me, which met March 11 for the first time, with the help of David Burton, her former husband, and new husband, Scott Poteet. The men have been her "rock in the storm," she said.

"At Amazing Me, we don't care about the diagnosis," Burton Poteet said. "What's important to us is the time we spend together."

Burton sees Amazing Me as a means to "appropriate feedback" and "positive influences" among the children and wants other parents to experience it. Ten people attended the group's first meeting; the organization now has six members and seeks more.

Amazing Me's first outing will be April 18 at The Jumpin Monkey, near Lynnhaven Mall.

On May 17, the group will visit the Virginia Zoological Park in Norfolk. Burton Poteet is also organizing a yoga class for Amazing Me families.

Nora Firestone, nfirestone@verizon.net