Turning Points

Arthur Lancaster, the father of Makoto, sits across from the television on a lazy Sunday afternoon and watches the old 90s era cartoon show Batman: The Animated Series with (Makoto) his son sitting on the floor next to him. He points at each character from the show he watched as a child himself, answering any question his son has. He takes his time answering his son because of his son’s autism. His answers are simple and direct. Arthur said on parenting, “More emphasis on him understanding what we were talking about and trying to teach him.”

But Arthur wasn’t always willing to acknowledge his son having autism.

Makoto was diagnosed with autism at age three, but his mother had noticed Makoto missing key developmental milestones at 18 months old: he couldn’t talk and was crawling when he should have been walking. She got him into Easy Cares a program, for early intervention and special education for children and infants of Lane County. Amy Lancaster Arthur’s wife and Makoto’s mother said about Arthur, “He played along. You know based off my expectations, but it was hard sometimes. He would push back a little bit.” Arthur himself admitted to treating him as a normal child.

Arthur wouldn’t come to the full realization of his then five-year-old son having autism until a child the same age came through his checkout line at Walmart. The child talked to Arthur and to his mother. When he learned that the child was the same age as his son it made him realize his son had autism. Makoto could hardly talk at the same age. Coming home after work Arthur broke down and had a long discussion with his wife about Makoto and autism. “Instead of me telling my husband how to handle situations. He is now a teammate with me,” Amy said.

He faced these questions: How do you talk about an intellectual disability like autism? How do you act around a person who has it? What do you do as a parent of an autistic child? These questions are close to his mind. The lessons he wants to teach his nine year old son have changed from the strict military upbringing Arthur had and expected to pass on. The one thing that has not changed for Arthur is his expectations of his son in life. “Well, I still hope that as he continues along in life that he is able to find the joys and fulfillment that anybody would reach,” Arthur said. The future holds many uncertainties for Arthur Lancaster and his family, but he will continue his unconditional support for his son as he grows older and transitions from a child to a teenager.