April: Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month.

What is Autism?  Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. They include autistic disorder, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger syndrome. ASD can be associated with intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination and attention and physical health issues such as sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances.

Autism Speaks reports: 

Autism now affects 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys
Autism prevalence figures are growing
Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
Autism costs a family $60,000 a year on average
Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
Boys are nearly five times more likely than girls to have autism
There is no medical detection or cure for autism

My son Ronnie was diagnosed with PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified) March 14, 2013. Which basically means that he is on the Autism spectrum but doesn't fully meet all of the criteria. It was a diagnosis that my husband and I were expecting and it was great to finally have some answers. Autism doesn't define who my child is, it's just a part of who he is. I love my little guy more than anything in this world and he is perfect the way he is. Sure we have our good days and our not so good days. It can be extremely stressful, exhausting and challenging. But you know what, I've come to accept that he has his challenges and I LOVE watching him conquer new goals. He is who GOD created him to be and that's fine by me. 

Now picture this if you will. You are out shopping or out to eat. You see/hear a child screaming/crying. One typically thinks "oh their just throwing a fit because they aren't getting their way." Or you see a child running around acting crazy hyper and you think "that parent has loaded them up on candy and other sugary items." I'll be honest, I've thought that before. But since we knew something was going on with our son and he started doing OT and now we have a diagnosis, I view it completely differently now. I take a step back and think, "maybe this child is having a sensory overload and this is the only way he/she can process it/handle it." Or that hyper child might be dealing with a sensory overload in a different way, instead of melting down they could also become overwhelmed but react in a different way. (My son experiences both ways, just depends on the situation) I no longer look at it as "that child isn't getting their way or that child is loaded up on sugar." It kind of goes hand in hand with that famous quote "Never judge a book by its cover." And honestly, it's really not my place or your place to determine what is wrong with that child, especially if you do not know them or their situation. You truly never know when there may be something more going on. So instead of gawking, whispering, rolling your eyes, saying hateful things and getting annoyed...offer a bit of encouragement. Even if it's simply looking at the parent/parents and giving them a heartfelt smile. You have no idea how much that might make their day. 

It is my job as a parent to protect my son, to help my son and I'm his biggest advocate! I always will be. He's my whole world and I'm so proud to be his Momma. I'm helping Spread Autism Awareness for my baby boy!!  

Information collected from autismspeaks.org