The Rural Voice, 1997-11, Page 25feeding, they milk the two dairy
cattle. If the cows stand still they get
a donut.
-9"ext they head over to the
shed to feed the 200 baby
chicks, ducks and geese.
They must help their father
... keep the chicks and
ducklings safe from marauding
predators such as skunks, by seeing
they stay in the coop and yard.
The farm provides a wide variety
of experience for the Brodhagen
children. Of all the farm animals,
Amanda and Bryan like their
numerous barn cats and kittens the
best. Every single cat is named. In
his relationship with the cats, playing
with them and talking to them, Bryan
flexes his fledgling language skills.
With his parents, Bryan joins in
the sociability of the community.
Martin serves on church council for
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, and he
feels he has a personal reason to
emphasize the value of farming in his
youth work.
Bryan and Amanda will likely be
involved in 4-H like their father is,
having already won prizes for their
goats. Martin has been involved with
4-H since he was 21. He works hard
trying to bolster the numbers of the
club, which isn't as popular with
farming families as it has been in the
past, what with sports such as
baseball to divert their attention.
Brenda say Bryan is a high -
functioning autistic child. His bright
intelligence and his farm background
will possibly give him an advantage.
Research shows that many have
trouble coping with this disease, and
a large percentage, more than half, of
autistic children if they are retarded,
will eventually end up in an
institution.
Although autism is a very serious
disease, since Bryan's condition was
noticed and treated early, his parents
feel he has a good chance of
contributing to his community in the
way his family traditionally has done.
Martin's family has been farming
for generations, in the middle of
many, many farms on level, fertile
land surrounding tiny Perth County
crossroads communities. The
crossroads village hasn't changed for
years. It has a church or two, many
older houses and some newer ones.
Most farms around it have a mixture
of older buildings and new.
But autism is no respecter of
person or locale, occurring in all
social classes everywhere.
Literature on autism indicates that
children with infantile autism usually
• do not have a family history of the
illness. The cause is unknown
although there is clearly a hereditary
aspect involved as shown by studies
of twins, in that if one has autism, the
other will too, even if they are raised
separately.
The Brodhagen family feels the
outlook for their son improves if they
can stay on their farm and keep
taking their son for treatment and
therapy.
To do this, they must work hard
and watch out for costs. One way is
doing much of the work themselves,
such as digging the drainage tiles by
hand and using older equipment.
Their windmill is still in working
condition and until a few years ago
pumped all the water needed on the
Martin Brodhagen feeds treats to the
cattle. Even when times are tough,
farming has special benefits for the
family.
farm.
Family members living close by
help out. Martin's father Reuben
farms the next farm across from him,
and Brenda was raised on what she
calls a hobby farm just around the
corner. Martin raises Limousin -cross
and Brahmin -cross cattle. The cross-
bred calves are a favourite with
Bryan until they get too large and
ebullient to handle.
Because he has the presence of a
large variety of farm animals, Bryan
may avoid the keen loneliness that
-the autistic experience. The nearness
of family and the busy farm activities
of his father may be a help as well.
Martin reflects, "There's hope his
condition will improve, especially if
we stay on the farm. I can't really sell
a parcel, as the farm operation would
be too. small, nor can I buy another
one with the cost of land right now. I
have to be my own vet, my own
mechanic, my own fence fixer. Doing
the work on the farm myself means I
can be around most days to see that
Bryan gets along. Also, I like the
social aspect of farming and being
my own boss."
In a community where everybody
knows everybody else, you'll find
neighbourliness at a sausage and
sauerkraut church supper when the
work's all done this fall. These social
experiences will diminish the
personal isolation of autism, giving
the individual like Bryan a better
chance to be normal.
NOVEMBFP 1997 21