| The numbers continue to climb. 1-166 children develop | | | | In the case of my nephew, we knew something was |
| Autism each year. Why? They said it was the | | | | wrong, when all the other kids were doing things he |
| mercury in the vaccines. Then they could not rule out | | | | was not doing. He did not want to play with other kids. |
| the possibility of genetically distribution. It is a guessing | | | | He acted like they were not there. To this day, he |
| game. Unlike most other disorders and diseases that | | | | does not play with toys, or other children. He could |
| cause a person to become handicapped, the autistic | | | | care less! He was forming sentences one day, and |
| brain is still a mystery. | | | | then he just stopped. He lost his ability to communicate. |
| Autism has varying degrees of disability. They call it a | | | | He stopped eating. He stopped everything. Instead of |
| spectrum disorder, because those afflicted can be | | | | moving forward in his abilities, it was as if time started |
| very high functioning and amazingly technical. They are | | | | to go backwards. |
| so focused on one subject. This is a category that | | | | On Christmas day his presents will sit there if you don't |
| many professors fall into. They have that one specialty | | | | hand him one to open. He is content to just have his |
| that they know absolutely everything about, but can | | | | videos that rewind. He has a blank stare. It is |
| they remember your birthday? Probably not, but they | | | | unmistakable. You can see it in every school picture. |
| can tell you what happened in their field eighty years | | | | He is in a school that is trying to teach him life skills. |
| ago. This is called Asperger's Syndrome, a variation of | | | | He loves to watch water go down a drain, but now he |
| autism. Then you have the very low functioning people | | | | also likes to watch it go over the sink, and cascade |
| on the autism spectrum, who are barely able | | | | over the bathtub, etc...so we are all very cautious since |
| communicate. My nephew falls into the low functioning | | | | my sister-in-law came home to ankle high water in the |
| category on the spectrum. | | | | living room. He must have seen someone watering a |
| Many people wrongly assume that autistic people are | | | | lawn, and decided to water the carpet. He took the |
| geniuses at something. They say things like "Oh I saw | | | | hose inside the house, and just turned it on. Thank God |
| Rainman, can he do that?" Then I have to go into this | | | | I was not living there at the time, or I would have had |
| long story about autism, and what they are speaking | | | | to move. |
| of is known officially as an Autistic Savant, and no, he | | | | People will drive down our street, and you can tell by |
| can't count cards so he is not coming to Vegas with | | | | their eye movement, and the crinkled forehead look of |
| you. | | | | disbelief that we let him (on occasion), waste a little bit |
| In his Autistic world, he just wants to stay home and | | | | of water. We let him turn the water on so he can |
| drive his mommy crazy. He likes to watch Winnie the | | | | watch it run down the driveway. Yes, it's true. |
| Pooh videos, and will rewind the same sentence over | | | | Sometime we just let him. He has no excitement other |
| and over and over and over and over and over, and | | | | than that, and he loves to watch the water cut a path |
| over...you get the idea. This is enough to drive a | | | | down the driveway. Now before you balk at wasting |
| non-autistic person crazy. Then one day, we heard him | | | | water, what do your kids waste? He will never ride a |
| singing. He was nine. He was singing along with Carly | | | | bike, drive a car, go out on a first date, go to the prom, |
| Simon to the Winnie the Pooh song. He hates it when | | | | get married, etc. Most important, he will never initiate |
| people sing, he will cover his ears, but he loves Carly | | | | saying "I Love You" to his mother. When he says it, |
| Simon. It was the first time we ever heard him sing. | | | | she has to say it first to him, then he echo's it back to |
| We almost cried. It still gives me goose-bumps. | | | | her. So what's a little water in exchange for a little |
| How do you tell if your child has Autism? This is a | | | | happiness to someone who will never experience |
| question we hear frequently. There are free rating | | | | these other memorable milestones in life? |
| scales available on the web today. You will need a | | | | One of the most important things you can do for your |
| professional opinion, and if a diagnosis of Autism is | | | | Autistic child is to include him or her in everyday |
| made, you can try to find resources from your state | | | | events. Our Autism chapter will rent out an entire |
| or local government. There are local support groups | | | | movie theatre for families, so they can have a family |
| available all over the United States for parents and | | | | outing. When a new movie comes out, we try to |
| siblings. Some states do more to help families with | | | | arrange a Sunday morning viewing in Schaumburg, |
| disabled children than others, so we strongly suggest | | | | Illinois, at Loews Movie Theatres. Without them we |
| you look into what provisions your state has. | | | | would not have a venue for these kids. |