This 25-year-old Long Islander has autism. And he's working to win a world record.

It might seem that with the dozens of awards Ethan Klenofsky has accumulated, he would have lost track of how many he has earned.

But the 25-year-old North Babylon resident knows the exact number: 102.

That’s because Klenofsky, who has autism, is hoping to get the Guinness World Records title for the most civilian awards. The current record holder has 103 awards, according to the organization's website.

This year, Klenofsky has been working to capture his own number 103, aiming for an international accolade called the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

The award, open to those 14 to 24 years old, recognizes participants for completing four kinds of tasks.

According to the organization, participants must do something useful without getting paid, partake in a physical activity that requires a sustained energy level, prove expertise in a chosen skill and train for and complete an unaccompanied, self-reliant expedition. 

The U.K.-based organization said it gave out more than 99,000 awards from 2021 to 2022.

Klenofsky found out about the award last year after earning a 2022 Congressional Award, which has similar requirements and recognizes initiative, service and achievement among young people.

“I think it’s a good thing for him to focus on,” his mom, Susan Klenofsky, 65, said of the international award.

Her son began pursuing awards more earnestly three years ago after a car struck and killed his father, Steven Klenofsky, in Hicksville, she said.

“I think it was his way of dealing with it, to get his mind off things,” she added.

Ethan Klenofsky completed the volunteering portion of the award's requirement by working for 52 hours at the Spangle Drive Senior Citizens Center in North Babylon.

He said for physical recreation, he bowled for an hour a week for 13 weeks.

For skills, he wrote a speech on volunteerism that he delivered 14 times to municipal boards, Boy Scout troops and other organizations, including at a July village board meeting in Babylon and an August village board meeting in Lindenhurst.

For the final task, Klenofsky is planning to do a virtual expedition focused on Rome and a walking expedition around a village outside his neighborhood.

Klenofsky’s mother doesn't see his autism diagnosis as something that holds him back, describing him as a “high functioning” student who graduated from North Babylon High School with a Regents diploma in 2016. 

Klenofsky agrees.

“I don’t think my autism was a challenge,” he said. “For the Congressional Award I was able to complete everything without any special requirements.”

When it comes to the Duke of Edinburgh award, he thinks it will look good on his resume. Klenofsky isn't currently employed but said he hopes to get a job in data entry.

He called his attempt to break a world record "a long journey."

“It hasn’t been easy … there were times when I got down on myself. So it feels nice to be almost done and so close to earning my award," Klenofsky added.

Duke of Edinburgh award winner Rosie Westerbeck, 25, of Nashville, Tennessee, has been Klenofsky’s mentor for the process.

“Even when he was getting frustrated or something wasn’t working out, it was really cool to watch him grow throughout the program and be able to navigate and find solutions,” she said.

Babylon Town Councilman DuWayne Gregory helped Klenofsky with the Congressional Award, and Councilman Terence McSweeney is helping him in his pursuit of the Duke of Edinburgh award.

“I think he’s an inspiration,” Gregory said. “He shows that people on the spectrum are not restricted.”

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.