Honourable judges, teachers, parents and students.
My name is Quinn Born.
I am a boy with autism.
That is how the Grade 6 student at Blue Mountain elementary began his speech Wednesday at the Riverside Education Centre in Maple Ridge.
He was competing in the school district finals in his age group for English public speaking and was so excited he wore a tuxedo and volunteered to go first.
Instead of standing right in front of the small crowd of parents and family members gathered for the event, he marched confidently to the top of the stage, even though he would have to project his voice further to reach the judges sitting in the last row.
He also refused to use cue cards.
“He has no fear of anything. He’s proud,” laughed his mother, Catherine Born, crediting Dawn Flanagan, a teacher at Kanaka Creek elementary, for teaching him performance skills and instilling confidence in him.
He has an attitude of, “Wait until you see what I am about to do people,” Catherine said of her son.
Quinn was diagnosed with autism when he was eight years old.
“It was really hard to have him diagnosed,” said Catherine.
Quinn has a twin brother, Kaiden, and two older siblings, Connor and Georgia, the eldest at 15.
He is one of eight grandchildren born in the family between 2001 until 2007.
But at the family gatherings, Quinn would the only one playing by himself, and he screeched a lot instead of speaking.
When family members approached Catherine to ask her what was going on, she was in denial. She would say there is nothing wrong with him.
Then when Quinn started preschool, his condition became even more apparent.
“I will never forget this, line-up day,” said Catherine, remembering one of the red flags that led to Quinn’s eventual diagnosis.
Quinn and his twin Kaiden were standing in line with a box of Kleenex that they were asked to bring to school.
“Quinn literally destroyed the box of Kleenex standing in line. He was taking it apart,” said Catherine.
He was also inquisitive and had to touch everything in this new environment to see where everything fit.
“He was into everything,” said Catherine.
“They were like, ‘unless you control your kid, we don’t want him,’ kind of deal,” she continued.
That was when Catherine decided that she had to advocate for her son.
“Get over the fact that he may have something wrong with him. He’s healthy, he’s happy, so let’s deal with it,” she said.
It took Quinn six weeks to write his speech, with the help of support workers at school.
He spent the weekend before practicing it with his mother in their back garden.
Quinn rehearsed words, such as pesticides and social.
“We were practicing the more difficult words and he was sounding them out and we would film it and play it back so he could see it,” said Catherine, adding he was not happy at the time with all the practicing mom was making him do.
Catherine uploaded Quinn’s first speech to Facebook, which has surpassed 680 views.
What Quinn loves the most about public speaking is going on stage and shouting out loud.
It wasn’t that difficult to write, he said, noting that his speech contained more than 300 words.
“Public speaking is fun. To get up on that stage and speak in your loudest voice,” said Quinn.
“The only reason why I want people to understand how to talk or to learn about autism, to talk to people. So I decided to give them the website www.autism.ca. I put it there in the conclusion,” he indicated.
“I might have a chance at winning that blue ribbon,” Quinn said hopefully.
“Did I do 100 per cent perfect on it,” he asks his mom.
“You did Quinn,” Catherine answers.
Quinn pumps his arm in the air with a drawn out “yes.”
Quinn didn’t win the blue ribbon, but he was proud regardless and handled it well, said his mother, who has already been contacted by two other people who would like for him to give a speech.
“I think that this is the beginning for something huge for Quinn,” said Catherine, who thinks that his biggest obstacle has been people not letting him try things.
“Even at school they adapt everything to Quinn and I’m like, ‘no.’ He may have autism, but he still is capable,” she said.
“He’s a joy. I really wouldn’t change a thing about him.”