Autism:

During my youth, I encountered a young man whose autism caused quite an outcry from the parents of my fellow students. Even educators took little pains toward gathering information into his condition, and how to handle a person with his degree of autism.

Our community was not aware enough to the great turmoil and solitude experienced by Autistic Children and their families. I remember thinking how ignorant everyone seemed to be about what this young man was going through. There was never once a question of what his autism actually meant; nor was any sympathy ever shown to his parents, specifically his mother, who advocated so strongly for his cause--a fair and equal education--that she went back to school and earned multiple master's degrees to provide him adequate advocacy.

As I have gone through the years, I've kept in touch with this young man, and he is a treasure, a miracle. For someone with his degree of autism, his communication skills are a blessing. He also has various interests that drive his daily activities. He carries a full-time job and owns his home. He still has a worker who lives with him and handles many of the mundane things we take for granted. My only issue, though, is the lack of information people have regarding this 'spectrum disorder'.

I'm providing a link to Autism Society of America, and I hope that you take a chance to look over the 'About Autism' and 'Life With Autism' Tabs... and perhaps find it in your heart to provide a small donation to assist the research for understanding the disorder.