April is Autism Awareness Month

Autism: Spreading the Word ... and Hope
April is Autism Awareness month, and throughout the world, people are joining forces to spread the word about autism and to inspire others to lend a hand to people with autism and their loved ones.
Autism is a neurobiological disorder that hinders a person's ability to communicate and to socialize and that is often accompanied by challenging behaviors. Tens of millions of children and adults around the globe, of all ethnicities and socioeconomic circumstances, live with autism or a related disorder, such as Aspberger's syndrome. In the United States, one in 150 children has an autism-spectrum disorder diagnosis, and the rate of autism diagnosis has increased tenfold over the last decade.
Although there is no known cause or cure for autism, researchers are making progress toward those ends, and there are effective treatment and support programs for children and adults with autism-spectrum disorders. But we still have a long way to go. So it is imperative for those of us who can to do whatever we can to raise awareness of this debilitating disorder and to help those with autism and their families.
That's why, in 2007, Adams Media joined forces with former NFL champ Doug Flutie and his wife Laurie, parents of a son with autism, to publish A Cup of Comfort for Parents of Children with Autism. A portion of the profits from the sale of the book go to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. Doug and Laurie Flutie wrote the book's inspiring foreword, and the wonderful stories in this book, all written by parents of children with autism, not only offer insight and hope, they also celebrate the successes and blessings of children and adults with autism.
Here's a snippet from just one of those stories, "Part of the Gift," by Thomas Cannon:
[story created with the assistance and encouragement of the Oshkosh Writer's Club]

My wife and I sit together on one of the couches in the doctor's examining room, which is at least 30 feet long with many toys in plastic bins."Yep, he's autistic," the doctor says nonchalantly, labeling our son as if she were stating the color of his hair.
Looking over at my little boy as he plays with a figurine of a knight on a galloping horse, I find her diagnosis impossible to believe. He's too engaged in the world around him ... He is too loving and too involved with me and his mom and two sisters. No, he didn't respond much to the doctor, but he is only three.
Yet, afterward as we eat lunch and even though Sawyer is strangely well behaved, the diagnosis also makes sense in many ways. He does have some sensory issues; he is evasive and shy around grandparents and strangers; and he does not talk yet. The diagnosis crushed the shield of denial that has obscured by vision, and I begin to grieve the loss of my son's future ...
Want to read the whole story? Click here.