Dylan Russell, 16 yrs old and has Aspergers syndrome. He has decided to start speaking about his life and bullying.
Most of his life has been about trying to fit in, and being bullied harrassed and treated unfairly. He wants to give people
the knowledge and understanding of what it is like being treated so differently. He is now being schooled at home, due to
the issues of bullying etc. Dylan enjoys playing basketball, xbox 360 and hanging out with his brother. He also enjoys watching
sports with his Dad. Since he is home during the day he assists his mom with the daycare children. He is a great help and
learning all the aspects of running a business. He is a part of a Cadet Program through the Saline Police station. He really
enjoys learning all the areas of what it takes to be a police officer. Dylan has already spoke to the U of Michigan with his
mom and will be speaking at EMU and a local elementary.
Loreine Wynne, Dylan's mom, has been his advocate most of his life, to ensure his needs were met. She chose to take a
new direction in her life. After years of sadness and pain of watching her son endure so much misery and pain. She wants to
educate the public and the younger generation. About what happens to a child who is different and who is bullied on a daily
basis. Everytime Dylan would walk into the house, she would know in a second if he had a good day or bad. To feel her heart
sink when the phone would ring while he was at school. The intense anxiety of not knowing if he was being taken care of. So she
along with her husband Scott decided that his well being was more important then sending him into a system that continued
to fail him. Dylan is now being homeschooled. He is a happier and calmer young man. Who is thriving and growing everyday.
They both have decided to make a difference and speak to the public on how detrimental bullying, harrassing and name
calling can be for children, adults on the autism spectrum. They know first hand what it does to your life, how it can almost
destroy a family, how important it is to have a support system in place.
No family should have to fight so hard to protect their child. It should just be second nature. Unfortunetly that is
not the case. Education is the key to help others understand. If they can make a difference in just one person's life, then
they have succeeded.
Loreine also has chosen to take a officer seat on the Autism Society of Washtenaw County. She believes the more awareness
there is the more accepting the community will be of those who have Autism.
Along with that Loreine also runs her own daycare out of her home. She runs a online recycle group in her local community,
and a online special needs group.
She realizes the importance of parents knowing they have support and understanding from others who are going through
the same thing.