Autism

5 minutes for mom has posted a blog about Autism and has asked readers to share their stories.

I'd like to share ours, but before I do, here are some statistics. There are 1 out of 150 children on the Autistic spectrum. There are 67 new cases every day in the U.S. and a child is diagnosed every 20 minutes. The CDC says it is a national health problem. Certainly as a teacher, I have seen more and more cases every year. Working with toddlers, many times we are the first to notice something is different. There are a lot of people out there who have no idea even what Autism is about. Even my own family didn't know what it meant. I was and am more than happy to explain it to everyone.

A wonderful website is Autism speaks. They have a 13 minute version of the film Autism Every Day. It is worth watching. It gives you a glimpse into the lives of families living with children on the Autistic spectrum. The children have varying degrees of Autism.

Our child Ian has exhibited many traits of Autism, but does not fit into the "box" or Autism or Aspergers. As his doctor once put it "He is touched by the feather of Autism". We have been referred to Stanford and the East Bay Regional Center. Stanford is testing him for fragile X. If anything is even slightly off, they will be able to tell. The Regional center has referred him for further testing also. Now we are just playing the waiting game. Ian has had a tough time over the past 12 months and many activities he previously enjoyed have become much more challenging for him. We never know if he will be invited back, even to a friend's house. It seems he has regressed in his behaviors. He has had accidents and is unable to care for himself. Eating out if often a challenge for us. We do get looks, but I never hesitate to explain that he was special needs and what that means. Often people are surprised and will ask more. For those with their noses in the air, who cares. We know that we are the lucky ones and I feel sorry for them. Life is challenging, but it has its rewards too. He is a very loving child, has a great imagination and is cute as a button.