Stormy McCall sits with her three children, from left, Madison, 2, Bethany, 6, and Matthew, 10, in Concordia. Matthew received a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome when he was 7.

Concordia ? She was a difficult birth, so it’s not surprising her mother named her Stormy.

“Stormy” also describes the Concordia woman’s temperament — periods of calm, followed by quiet rumblings that sometimes turn into thunderous outbursts.

Stormy McCall makes no apology for her disposition, particularly when it comes to the welfare of her children — Matthew, 10, Bethany 6, and Madison, 2.

Stormy’s “stormy” side mostly is unleashed when Matthew, who has a form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome, is mistreated by those who don’t understand his condition.

Asperger’s is a developmental disorder caused by a neurological condition, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Symptoms include impairment in language and communication skills, repetitive or restrictive patterns of thought and behavior, obsessiveness, anxiety and socially and emotionally inappropriate behavior.

Protective instincts

Matthew’s obsessive and sometimes inappropriate behavior makes him vulnerable to bullying and cruelty, which sends Stormy’s motherly instincts into overdrive.

“With Matthew, I learned a lot about myself, because I had to face a lot of battles with him,” said Stormy, 35. “When I see people picking on him, a protective side of me comes out.”

The worst offenders are not other children.

“The kids he grew up with accept him, so most of my problems are with adults,” Stormy said. “There are people in church who have slapped him for being disorderly. No one can do that to Matthew or my other kids. I don’t need that. Adults don’t need to be picking on children.”

Stormy’s mother, Terry Corbett, said her daughter has been fighting battles for her family and others since she was a small child.

“She always went against the grain,” said Corbett, of Delphos. “If someone said she couldn’t do something, she’d tell them she could.”

Stormy married Jeff McCall in August 1991, soon after Stormy had turned 18.

They spent the next eight years trying to start a family, but infertility problems made it difficult for Stormy to become pregnant.

So 10 years ago, they adopted a baby boy, whom they named Matthew.

When Matthew was just 2, Stormy was given the shocking news that she was pregnant.

“We weren’t supposed to be able to have kids at all,” she said.

Bethany was born in May 2002. To add to the shock, four years later, Stormy became pregnant with a second daughter, Madison, born in December 2006.

Asperger’s diagnosis

For several years, Matthew appeared to be an ordinary child, albeit one who read obsessively and liked to stay in his room by himself.

As he got older, however, Matthew began exhibiting unusual behavior, such as being terrified by certain animals (like elephants) and bursting into tears at loud noises.

At age 7, he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. The McCalls, who had already researched Asperger’s on the Internet, weren’t surprised.

“It seemed like such a match for him,” Jeff McCall said.

“Matthew was repetitive, disjointed and kept repeating words until he would get the whole thought out,” Stormy said. “He’d have flashes of temper and meltdowns if he didn’t get his way. It was a flip of a switch, no medium ground — either we’re happy or we’re angry.”

After the diagnosis, the McCalls threw themselves into autism research and advocacy. They also began to work with teachers and administrators in Concordia to develop an individualized education and behavioral plan to help Matthew succeed in a public school environment.

Educational plan

Advocating for Matthew’s educational needs hasn’t always made Stormy the most popular of mothers.

“It’s hard with educators because they feel this is their area of expertise, and they don’t like parental interference,” she said. “But I’m the one who needs to speak up for Matthew. He’s vulnerable and doesn’t understand sarcasm or cruel talk, or nonverbal looks.”

Matthew regularly sees a doctor in Topeka, who manages his medications. The McCall family members also see a counselor once a week through Youthville, one of the largest nonprofit child welfare agencies in Kansas. It specializes in foster care, adoption, counseling and therapy.

Jim Lund, the McCalls’ Concordia-based therapist, said he tries to identify the sources of Matthew’s behavioral challenges, then devises avenues to keep Matthew calm and focused.

Matthew is lucky to have attentive, hardworking parents, Lund said, and a fierce and loyal advocate in his mother, Stormy.