Brandon Adriano Visciano was born on March 8th 1992 at North York General Hospital's Branson Site on the south side of Finch Avenue West in Toronto, Ontario. On December 7th. 1995 at the age of 3 Brandon was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDDNOS) with developmental handicap in the moderate range. PDDNOS is part of the Autism Spectrum Disorder and has a vast array of hopeful treatments and dreams for a “cure.”
Before Brandon was diagnosed with Autism his mother and primary caregiver Sabra Pollen noticed there was something different about her second child. He did not latch on when breast-feeding like his older sister had when she was an infant. He was not catching on to words, it was very hard to get him to sleep, he did not make much eye contact, and it seemed as if he was in a world of his own.
There are many different types of Autism. In Brandon’s particular case he had very little verbal skills, a good range of consonant and vowel sounds, and he could learn quickly when motivated such as drinking out of a juice box with a straw. After years of treatments and supplements such as Applied Behavioural Analysis, Secretin, Melatonin, Holistic treatments, various vitamins, and thousands of dollars spent, Brandon’s immediate family were left with more unanswered questions, frustration, despair, and an empty wallet.
Once Brandon hit puberty he not only grew upward, but outward as well. Brandon’s height and weight was not the only thing that had suddenly changed; due to increasing levels of testosterone his temper had taken a turn for the worst. As a small child Brandon would bite his family for unknown reasons, however his biting had stopped until puberty hit. Brandon became violent, attacking those around him by grabbing, punching, hitting, pinching, biting, along with occasionally grabbing the steering wheel while a family member was driving. Brandon’s family lived in terror for a long time before appropriate medication was found. When the rages, and violence finally subsided from the ages of 16 to 19, Brandon’s immediate family could finally watch television without worrying about Brandon running down the stairs ready to attack.
Over the years Brandon has progressed slowly and makes an effort to communicate with others when he wants something such as food, a bath, or to go outside. In recent years Brandon communicates using some simple sign language. He can use sign language to express wanting to go outside, wanting to take a bath, wanting certain foods. He also an understanding of signs such as hat, shoes, socks, and water along with a few others.
Along with the various treatments Brandon has received over the years, he has been a part of respite programs in both Toronto and Brampton. The most recent respite center supported Brandon until the age of 18. Once Brandon turned 18 his family had an understanding that there were other programs available nearby to help with support for Brandon. So far nothing has been available and has left Brandon’s family scrambling to find alternatives.
Since there is very limited support for Autistic adults in middle-income families, The Brandon Project is working towards teaching Brandon how to communicate, safely live everyday life, and use the proper washroom facilities. This project will not be developed overnight. This project will take months of research, development, and revisions.
The Brandon Project has one final fundamental objective, and this is to allow Brandon to become an independent individual that can be integrated into society and to one day provide options for other families living with individuals with PDDNOS.
For more information regarding The Brandon Project feel free to contact the creator of The Brandon Project; Gabriella Visciano at thebrandonvproject@gmail.com
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