Houlton boy drops puck for Portland Pirates

HOULTON, Maine — Any child who is a hockey fan dreams of getting the chance to drop the ceremonial puck at a game.
So when 7-year-old Jordan Miller had a chance to do precisely that at a Portland Pirates hockey game April 11, his dream had become a reality. The son of Shelly and Robbie Miller of Houlton, Jordan was the honored guest of the Portland Pirates for the “Autism Awareness Night,” Wednesday, April 11 in Portland.
    Miller said she never dreamed her son would have the opportunity to drop the puck at the Pirates game when she called to order tickets for the April 11 game.
“One of the people with the Portland Pirates organization wanted to know where we were coming from,’ she explained. “When I told them Houlton, they were quite impressed we were going to come all that way for a game.”
Miller said she received a phone call the next morning from Cathy Dionne, director of programs and administration for the Autism Society of Maine, asking the family if Jordan was interested in dropping the first puck.
“Of course he said ‘yes’,” Miller said. “He was so excited.”
The game marked the second annual “Autism Awareness Night” for the Pirates to promote awareness through a partnership with the Autism Society of Maine. The Pirates donated $2 from every ticketed purchased to the society.
Even though Shelly’s husband couldn’t make the trip, the event was made extra special as the Portland Pirates organization took care of the Miller’s lodging in Portland.
April is national Autism Awareness Month, in an effort to raise awareness and educate people about autism. According to the Autism Society’s website, “Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum disorder” that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause of autism, but increased awareness and funding can help families today.”
The prevalence of autism had risen to one in every 110 births in the United States and almost one in 70 boys. There are about 1.5 million Americans living with the effects of autism spectrum disorder.
The Millers thought something was different with Jordan, their second child, because he was developing slower than their first son Josh.
“We really saw it at 18 months,” Miller said. “Jordan didn’t make good eye contact with us. He acted very distant. He would rather be left alone and not held. He really didn’t want to be touched all that much. We just knew something was different.”
Miller said Jordan would also make verbal sounds on a regular basis, which prompted the family to get him checked. He was diagnosed with autism at the age of 20 months.
After his diagnosis in Bangor, he began speech, physical and occupational therapy in Houlton. After his third birthday, he began developmental and behavioral therapy. The changes were dramatic, allowing him to enroll into pre-kindergarten at Houlton Elementary School. He is now a first-grader at HES.
“It is amazing how far he has come,” Miller said.
His progression was such that he was even able to take up the sport of hockey, joining the Southern Aroostook Minor Hockey Association.
Jordan said he wasn’t scared walking out onto the ice of the Cumberland County Civic Center to drop the puck. He even wore his SAMHA jersey for the occasion.
“I just dropped the puck,” Jordan said. “It was good.”
Knowing the signs that your child may have autism can go a long way in both diagnosing and treating a child, Miller said. Children cannot outgrow autism, but studies show that early diagnosis and intervention lead to significantly improved outcomes.
The following are some signs that a child may have autism, according to www.asmonline.org:
• Lack of or delay in spoken language.
• Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms such as hand-flapping or twirling objects.
• Little or no eye contact.
• Lack of interest in peer relationships.
• Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play.
• Persistent fixation on parts of objects.
For more information, visit www.asmonline.org.