When Anthony Kuznia appeared in an April 2012 Herald article about autism, he was a happy and curious 9-year-old, busy exploring the lobby of a Grand Forks hotel where he and his family had spent the night as a special treat for the kids.
He liked swimming in the hotel's pool, he said, and had gone to his gymnastics class the night before. He liked the trampoline best.
"He loves going to Red River Gymnastics," said his grandmother Janet Luettjohann, at the time.
Anthony stood near his grandmother and hugged her as she sat on a couch, with her arm around him.
Anthony's body was found in the Red River on Thursday, a day after hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement officials searched the area around his East Grand Forks home and beyond.
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"He's always on the move," Luettjohann told the Herald last year. "It's hard for him to remain still for very long."
Anthony was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder around age 5, she said. His energy was not always easy to control, but could also make him an enthusiastic child, such as when he participated in Special Olympics.
"We thought he wouldn't like it. When he got out there, he ran and ran," Luettjohann said.
Outgoing and social
Anthony's family encouraged him to make eye contact, Luettjohann said last year, but those who knew him described him as social.
"He loves to talk. He'll say, 'can you just sit down and talk with me?'"
Anthony was more outgoing and enjoyed contact with others, she said. "He'll seek out touch."
"When he first meets you, he wants to know your name, what you're doing here. He's very inquisitive."
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In school, he was in regular classrooms through third grade, his grandmother said. "The kids in his classroom always like him. They'll say, 'can I help Anthony do this?'"
He was attended full time by paraprofessionals who knew him "so well," she said, including "when he can handle things and when he can't."
In certain areas, he excelled.
"He has a memory like you wouldn't believe," Luettjohann said. He remembered the names of each specialist and nurse who had treated him during various medical appointments in Minneapolis.
Anthony also showed keen interest in science.
"He loves science, absolutely loves science and learning how things grow," she said. "We have a big garden."
He also was very interested in computers, she said. "He can sit down at the computer -- he likes Google Earth -- and take you anywhere. How many 9-year-olds can do that?"
Each child with autism is different, she said. "Every one of them has a special gift to give the world."
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Knudson covers Health and Family for the Herald and can be reached at (701) 780-1107, (800) 477-6572, ext.1107 or pknudson@gfherald.com .
