I was in middle school when I first realized what autism was. It was in the early 1990's and I don't think much had been talked about it before then. We had a group of students in our school that would only join us for our elective classes such as PE and art classes. As sixth graders, we knew these students as "disabled", but didn't really know why they were the way they were. Several of the students acted much as we did, except that they didn't communicate with us. It wasn't until my art teacher, Mrs. Cumberland (wonderful woman!) actually talked to us in class one day, that I think many of us realized that our classmates were autistic. Having them in class with us was so normal; it was just another experience of the world for us.
It turned out to be a good experience for me. A few years later, our former neighbors moved in with their young son who was autistic. Having experienced this before I felt right at home with him, compared to my parents who were a little nervous about this child who made "strange noises". One of the things that fascinated him was water, which wasn't good considering a creek runs behind all our houses! On nice days, we would go on "lookout" as sometimes he would be able to open the door and run like mad past our house to the creek. If we didn't see another adult close behind, we were up and out the door chasing after him!
When my mom began working as a substitute teacher, she was asked to work in what they called at the time, the "severe and profound" room. Because of her experience with our neighbors, she said yes. She ended up loving it, something that surprised all of us! She would work in this area for six years.
Unfortunately, as many of us in the education world know, autism is on the rise. In December 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued their ADDM autism prevalence report, which concluded that the prevalence of autism had risen to 1 in every 110 births in the United States and almost 1 in 70 boys. Families who have children with autism have to provide for special child care and schooling. The Autism Society estimates that the lifetime cost of caring for a child with autism ranges from $3.5 million to $5 million. You'll notice that I've added an autism puzzle badge to my sidebar and if you would like more information or would like to make a donation, it will link you to The Autism Society.
Also, if you're interested, Autism Speaks is also sponsoring the Light It Up Blue Event on April 1st. According totheir site, “On the night of April 1, prominent buildings across North America and the world including the Empire State Building in New York City and the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada will be lit up blue to raise awareness for autism and to commemorate World Autism Awareness Day on Friday, April 2.” Please help spread the word!
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