Apr 5, 2017 4 min read

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When Dustin Casseday was not quite 1-year-old, his father, Damon Casseday of Bobtown noticed that his little boy was “missing his milestones. He wasn’t crawling and was nonverbal, no babbling. And he didn’t want to look at anyone. I knew something wasn’t right. It was like he was in his own little world. “

Today Dustin is almost 6, a high-octane kid with a sweet grin and happy feet, ready to enjoy an ice cream cone, especially if it’s chocolate. And his dad is the founder of the Dustin Damon Casseday Autism Foundation, with an office on West High Street in Waynesburg and mission help local kids “make all the pieces fit.”

Autism is a spectrum disorder that parents and pediatricians identify from a checklist made at 18 months and again at age 2. Dustin’s lists revealed the telltale traits of an autistic child.

The diagnosis changed Casseday’s life. As a single parent, “I knew I had to get super involved. I really didn’t know anything about autism and I had a lot to learn.”

According to the Center for Disease Control, autism spectrum disorder – ASD – covers a wide range of physical and learning disabilities and delays associated with language, physical coordination and ability to make social connections. It affects about one in 68 children in America, and symptoms range from slight to severe. Casseday describes Dustin as being “moderate, somewhere in the middle.”

Eventually, this caring dad would quit his full time job at Lowes to devote himself to building a nonprofit foundation to help his son and others live a safer, happier life.

After the diagnosis, Dustin entered the county’s in-home Early Intervention program for birth to age 3 to receive the extra help needed to reach his milestones. Casseday was reading everything he could click on about ASD and took to social media to share what he learned. After Dustin transitioned to the Intermediate Unit preschool program to ready him for kindergarten, Casseday reached out to other parents to get a support group started at Cornerstone Care in Greensboro.

Casseday launched his foundation in 2016, using the puzzle piece symbol for ASD, paired with a more personal touch of four colorful balloons in one corner.

“That’s for Dustin. When he was little, he loved getting a balloon every time he went for therapy.”

Cassaday consulted with Sgt. Steve Dowlin, commander of the state police barracks near Waynesburg, to create a sticker for the back windows of vehicles to tell first responders there’s an autistic child onboard.

“Anyone can put a sticker in their window, so I’ve been talking to Representative Pam Snyder about getting a license plate for autism, like handicapped plates,” Casseday says.

“I like the puzzle shape around the badge because it’s a recognized symbol,” Waynesburg police chief Robert Toth says. “I’ve had ASD training and I’m making arrangements for all my officers to take the training as well.”

The foundation also has a sleeve for car seat straps that opens to give medication needs and symptoms to look for, including epileptic seizures, which are common in those with ASD. Armed with this knowledge, lights on official vehicles could be dimmed and extra care taken not to frighten the child, Casseday points out.

“We want our kids to feel safe and not be afraid of people who are there to help them. If you scare an autistic kid, they are scared for life.”

The Foundation wish list includes extra days of speech therapy per week that is not yet available close to home, but is critical to early intervention.

“We parents would like to have access to more speech therapists in Greene County. Right now we have to drive to Washington, Uniontown or Morgantown to get extra days and not everyone can afford to do that. So we’re fundraising to get speech therapist students from the University of California to come to the office in Waynesburg this summer and work with the children and the parents,” Casseday says.

The foundation’s first Autism Walk, co-sponsored by the county commissioners and department of recreation, will be held April 8 at Wanna B Park. The walk begins at noon, with registration from 10:30 to 11 a.m.

On Sunday April 9, DDCAF will hold its second annual autism fundraiser at Carmichaels VFW starting at noon. The fun includes face painting, games to play and a chance to Touch a Truck. Hot Rods BBQ is doing the food and there is live music from 4-8 p.m.

For more information, call 724-550-6467 or join the foundation’s public page on Facebook.