Miami Herald: Autistic kids spread wings in surf clinics

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Posted on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009

Autistic kids spread wings in surf clinics

By EILEEN SOLER AND JULIE LANDRY LAVIOLETTE

Life was about riding waves, hanging 10 and having fun for more than a dozen kids and their families on Hollywood beach. It was the kind of day many South Floridians take for granted, but it was extra special for this group. The kids, who have autism, and their families, were part of the Autism Society of Broward's most recent ``Surfing With the Stars'' event. ``It's amazing,'' said Stacey Hoaglund, a member of the organization and an autism support specialist for Fort Lauderdale-based Family Network on Disabilities. ``Everyone has fun, but we find even the most nonverbal and nonfunctioning kids in everyday life become totally themselves in the water.'' Hoaglund, of City, is also mom to Zachary, 14, whose autism was secondary to everything in the midst of an epic morning tackling baby waves off Meade Street. The Oct. 11 event was the fifth in a series of surfing clinics for autistic kids and families, the brainstorm of Hugh Keough Jr., who's on the Autism Society's board.

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