‘Autism is my super power’: Families with autistic children connect with resources, each other in record-breaking turnout for 5K walk

Shelbie Archibeque told her 5-year-old son, Nathan, last summer he has autism.

“He’s like, ‘What’s awesometism?’ ” Archibeque said. “So, that stuck. That’s why we call it ‘awesometism.’ ”

Four generations of the family, including Archibeque, her son, her mother and her grandmother sported shirts Saturday at Riverfront Park that read, “AWESOMETISM.”

They were part of the hundreds of people who participated in Northwest Autism Center’s 10th annual Steps for Autism 5K, which started at Riverfront Park and proceeded along the north edge of the Spokane River before looping back on the south side of the river to the park.

April is National Autism Awareness Month.

The event celebrates those with autism and allows them and their families to connect with other families as well as autism-friendly businesses and resource providers at the park. About 600 people registered for the 5K, the largest turnout in the event’s decadelong history, according to Dawn Sidell, executive director at Northwest Autism Center.

Sidell attributed the record-setting registration numbers to the event gaining more recognition over the years, a warm spring day and the current political climate around autism.

Before the 5K, families visited the booths stationed near the Ice Age Floods Playground at the park. Many were businesses or resources that provide autism-related services.

“I think it is really hard for parents to hit the pavement looking for specific services that are best going to meet their child or their family’s needs,” Sidell said. “And the opportunities for bringing resources in one place are a little bit few and far between, and this combines resource access with a fun opportunity that’s really inclusive for their children and their adult children.”

Sidell was accompanied by her 30-year-old son, Holden, who has autism.

Sidell said she loves the event because it’s an opportunity for families to participate with the larger community and not feel self-conscious, different or unwanted.

“Everyone is so friendly,” she said. “This isn’t about divisiveness, this is about unity.”

Autism has gained more news headlines lately.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced criticism for his statements on autism, calling it a “preventable disease” and stating that those with it make limited contributions to society. Kennedy wants to used Americans’ medical records to study the rise in autism.

Sidell said there’s great confusion and fear about new federal policies about autism in part because the levels and types of autism are so broad.

She said she hopes policymakers don’t forget to acknowledge safeguards, like privacy rights and rights to protocol based in science, that are in place for the population they are striving to help.

“All of those things are there for a reason, to help make sure that the policies that do get adopted are informed and are respectful and are inclusive,” Sidell said.

Almost everyone walked the 5K Saturday, with some, like the Archibeque family, wearing matching shirts.

Nathan also held an orange sign that said, “Autism is my superpower.”

“He has chosen to embrace his diagnosis rather than be ashamed of it or let it get him down, and that’s something I feel like more people need to be aware of is like, don’t let anyone tell you what your limits are,” Archibeque said.

The “AWESOMETISM” shirts had monsters with chocolate chip cookies riding motorcycles on them, a combination of Nathan’s favorite things. In fact, his nickname is “Cookie Monster” after the “Sesame Street” character.

He has plenty of Cookie Monster memorabilia, including a Cookie Monster backpack Archibeque strapped on her back Saturday.

Archibeque said she posted a video on the social media platform TikTok that went viral last summer and caught the attention of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, which invited Nathan and his mother to the Harley-Davidson museum in Milwaukee.

The museum gave them a sensory-friendly tour just for him and his mom by opening up the museum earlier in the day, according to a Fox6 News Milwaukee TV station that wrote a story about the mom and son.

Archibeque said Harley-Davidson designed Cookie Monster motorcycle stickers for Nathan to hand out to people. She said he likes to give motorcycle stickers he made to bikers and sells stickers online.

She called Northwest Autism Center “a game changer for us.”

“They helped us immensely,” Archibeque said.

She said her son still completes therapy for autism and needs help with some things, like getting dressed.

She said his developmental delays are just that – delays.

“It doesn’t mean they can’t; they’ll get there,” Archibeque said. “Just some of them need intervention services and the earlier we can provide it the better. That’s my whole goal with being involved with all this is just raising awareness for how important early intervention is because if he didn’t get those services early on, I don’t know where he’d be.”

Meanwhile, married couple Austin and Delaney Clement and their friends and family also wore matching shirts. Their white shirts said, “Harper’s Crew,” in black words for the Clement’s 4-year-old daughter, Harper.

It was the Clement couple’s second year walking the autism 5K.

“I think that it’s great they do it at the park,” Delaney Clement said, noting the toys and activities that children can engage before the walk.

Austin Clement said the event makes families with an autism child not feel alone. The couple said they can also learn about community resources at the booths and network with other parents.

“The walk is just a small part of this,” Delaney Clement said.

Austin Clement pushed Harper and her little sister, Brynlee, in a stroller along the river.

He credited services like Joya Child and Family Development in Spokane for helping Harper, who is nonverbal.

“Resources like Joya is kinda what got us in the door, and they were very important,” Austin Clement said. “I feel like if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be where we are today getting that early diagnosis and early intervention. That was pretty critical.”

Sidney Garrison, her husband, Trey, and their two daughters, 5-year-old BonnieMae and 2-year-old Freedom, walked with their service dog, a Dutch shepherd named Beretta. The couple’s daughters, who have autism, use Northwest Autism Center’s services and walked in their third autism 5K.

Garrison said they walk to bring awareness to autism and to support their children and others with the neurodevelopment disorder. She credited Spokane Valley’s Confident K9 Training, which trained Beretta for BonnieMae, and Northwest Autism Center for helping her daughters have a more “inclusive life.”

The walk was warmer than the previous 5K events, but that was fine with Garrison.

“Usually it’s kind of misty and rainy, but I won’t complain about the sun,” she said.