We’re taking a little break from our regularly scheduled programming her on Pens Fatales to talk about something that is near and dear to us -- Autism Awareness. Two of us Pens have families affected by autism. We are not alone. Millions of families are dealing with autism. Countless more are touched by the struggles that their friends and families are going through everyday.
April is Autism Awareness Month. Here are three reasons why Autism Awareness matters.
Reason #1 Because Autism Is More Common Than You Think
1 in 110 children have autism. Boys are 4 times more likely to have an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) than girls.
These rates are rising. There has been lots of speculation and debate as to why, but in the end, what we need is hard scientific research into the causes of autism if we ever hope to stem the tide. Large scale research like this requires funding. And funding requires advocacy. And advocacy requires awareness.
Reason #2 Because Autism Isn’t What You Think It Is
Like most of us, the only image I had of autism growing up came from the movie Rain Man. When my son was in the process of being diagnosed with classic autism, I resisted the feedback that the doctors and therapists were giving me, in part because of this idea of what autism was. But, he is affectionate, I thought. He is fun. Hell, he is funny. These characteristics were at odds with the picture I held in my mind of a person with autism.
Autism is characterized by a difficulty in communicating (both verbal and nonverbal communication), difficulty in social situations, and unusual behaviors. There are usually sensory issues. The severity of difficulty in each of these areas varies with individuals.
Autism is a spectrum disorder and people living with it fall all over the spectrum. The biggest lesson I have learned getting to know people with autism is that there is no one “autism”. Every one of us is an individual, with a distinct personality, an arsenal of talents and a set of challenges. This includes people with autism.
My son, Jack, doesn’t see the world the way I do. He is obsessed with the mechanics of spinning things--fans, car tires, planets. He is fascinated with cars and trains. This is Jack’s image of a car.
And these are the twenty one other identical pictures that he drew that same night.
Seeing the world differently isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Go here for a far more compelling argument about this than I could ever articulate. It’s being able to translate your thoughts and ideas into practical ideas that the rest of the world can understand that is the difficult part, which leads me into right into...
Seeing the world differently isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Go here for a far more compelling argument about this than I could ever articulate. It’s being able to translate your thoughts and ideas into practical ideas that the rest of the world can understand that is the difficult part, which leads me into right into...
Reason #3 Because Autism Treatments Help
There is no cure for autism, but treatments do help. They can help people become more expressive, more involved. The right treatment--and what that is seems to vary from person to person--can allow someone with autism to reach their potential.
ABA (applied behavioral analysis) Therapy helped Jack to learn how to talk. While he doesn’t understand the point of conversation, he now has much less difficulty expressing his thoughts and feelings. Through awareness and advocacy we can help bring more of these much needed therapy programs into our communities and into the lives of those who need them. Because in the end, what is good for the autism community is good for all of us.
