For anyone that is interested, April is National Autism Awareness Month with April 2, 2013 designated as World Autism Awareness Day. In honor of this I will be changing my avatar to the support ribbon for autism or other similar symbols.

As many of you know, my wife is a special education teacher. My eyes have certainly been opened through her. My family is blessed with 2 healthy and normal children. The challenges the families of children with autism or other disorders face every day would crush some of us. The strength, determination and love these families possess is staggering. I do not know that I would have the courage and strength to persavere in the same situation. If you are not familiar with autism, please take the time to look at the links below to educate yourself. If you and your family are fortunate enough to live normal lives, learn to appreciate it. If you are among the amazing families that deal with every day, bless you. Know that people the world around are standing behind you.

www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/world-autism-awareness-day

www.whathealth.com/awareness/event/nationalautismmonth.html

On another, but related note... I would like each and everyone of you to be aware of another movement. I have seen this many times in the real world and here in the game. I'm talking about the use of the terms "retard, retarded, tard" and the like as an insult. I have seen players muted for the use of such terms and I applaud and appreciate the moderators that have taken these actions.

Some people have mental retardation (intellectual disabilities). While mental retardation is not a bad word, when used to describe someone or something you think is bad or stupid it becomes another thoughtless hurtful word. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are not bad. Their condition is not bad. The prejudice and discrimination to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is BAD…and WRONG! Please stop using the word ‘retard’. It hurts individuals and families of those with disabilities.

If you took the time to read this, thank you,
PH

I will change my avatar too.

Very true and thank you for bringing this awareness to us. A former neighbor of mine has 2 children that are autistic. It really takes a lot of heart, patience, understanding and a special person that can handle this. I honestly do not know how they do it.

I changed avatar to the awareness ribbon but I still see the confederate/USA flag. Well at least i tried.

Thanks for posting this, Parrot. Things like this are sometimes overlooked, but it's important nevertheless.

I'll change my pic as well

Ill b changing my pic and my ingame name back to Memorial for this month. I am with u all the way PH. Thank u for letting me know. I had know idea about this event. +1 Karma for u

I only just saw you have done a thread on Autism after me posting about your new avatar.

I did not realise I could do posts on things like this! I know know.
A massive hug from my heart goes to your wife She does such a Hard but at the same time a rewarding job.

my sister has a 9yr old boy CONNOR who is autistic and who is very full on most off the time but at the same time is very intelligent and has a very how do you call it......... Different outlook about life, it's hard for me to describe as I am not very good with describing words but you most deffinatly have too see it for your self to understaind how hes different but strangely older in his mind than he is ment to be. He can be so loving one minuet, and want to sit and cuddle you forever but the next be very aggressive mentality and sometimes physically.

They are in a very different world than we are but most deffinatly a eye opener.

Gary, thank you for this. The only child in my family, my nephew Connor, is severely Autistic. He has a number of other problems, as well. My sister has had her share of moments when it felt as if facing one more day would be impossible. But, then, somehow, these remarkable parents find the strength.

Yes, words such as "retarded" are much too freely thrown around. So are similarly insensitive words like "gay" and "bitch". We aren't teaching our children that unkindness toward people who are different, whether by virtue of their gender, their sexual orientation or their neurological or other medical conditions, is unacceptable.

My nephew exhibits outbursts of typical Autistic behavior, frequently striking himself with his hands. For years we had no idea what goes on in his mind, how much he grasps. Connor's father, a teacher himself, performed an experiment; he asked Connor questions and requested that he answer not verbally but using a computer keyboard. Bear in mind, this is a child who communicates with the minimum possible interaction...a syllable, a word, two words if absolutely necessary.

"Connor, why do you hit yourself?"

(typed) "Because I know I'm different and I can't say what I want to say. I try and try but I just can't. It's frustrating. It makes me mad."

After my brother-in-law picked his jaw up off the floor he asked more questions and got more astonishingly complete, articulate, heartbreaking answers.

Autistic people are "in there". They understand more than we know. And they see the world in a way we aren't capable of. It's always been my feeling that they're tapped into a higher level of...something...they just can't communicate on our level. We know that most Autistic people don't see the sky, a cloud, a tree, a flock of birds, as separate, partitioned things. They see it all as one continuous flowing unbroken whole. Very much the way Quantum Theory and Buddhist teachings would have us understand the world.

I hope your thread prompts some fellow Dogfight players to look a bit deeper into Autism, there's much to be learned. About the condition and the people coping with it, but also about ourselves.

Whoa. Mrs. Roo in the U.K. and I in NYC simultaneously typing almost identical observations about the Autistic sons of our respective sisters...both of the children named Connor. What are the odds? Unfortunately, if you look at the most recent stats on Autism, the odds are distressingly strong.

Whoa.... That was strangely odd, and yes sadly it's getting more frequent.
And thank you wig you wrote what I can not write due to not not being articulate as your self with words.

With my Nephew Connor he can have conversations with you but only if he wants to talk to you. You have to catch him at the write time, normaly he loves his auntie Lou Lou and won't leave me alone normaly makes me laugth by telling me he wants to kiss me to death and marry me But to me he's adorable but I don't see the angry side off him that my sister and brother inlaw have to deal with, I only hear about it. and they must be a very stronge couple to be able to cope with him and bring him up at a mainstream school also he's younger brother 6 and a baby sister. Nearly 2.

My connor is also the same and gets very frustrated with him self and often talks about not wanting to be with anyone and not wanting to live and that everyone is out to get him, and oftern uses very long words which for anyone who hears it or hears about it would be very upset. So I would never understaind what he is going through.
He Does not understaind feeling, Me and you would want a cuddle to say hi he in his way would ether not wans anything not even eye contact or he would squish you so much that you could not breath ( I love this)
he also does not understaind Face expressions, and has too look at you when your talking to hear you and maybe understaind you. He may even hold your face while you talk and stair at you.
So life in this little boys world is far more scary than in a life of a fully understanding adult. With the normal day to day problems we face.


They most deffinatly understaind more than we know well said Wig

Wig and Mrs Roo,

Thank you for sharing your stories here. I encourage others to do the same. Your stories and others like them are exactly how we educate folks about Autism. The last stat I heard was that 1 in 88 children are born with some degree of Autism. When those uninitiated with this disorder here it mentioned they often think of Rain Man. That is not the typical case. It was glorified a bit in that movie with the character being endowed with nearly all of the traits(amazing and tragic) of an Autistic person. The Connor stories are the real world of Autism. Thank you again and to everyone else please feel free to share.

Is it true that Lionel Messi was diagnosticated as an autistic child????

This lady has a special message....



There is help....contact info at end of video.



And say a prayer.

I know this is a Facebook scotish website but maybe this may help someone,
Have just asked my sister what Internet sites she has used and found helpfull. Soon as I find out I'll let you know it may help someone eles.

www.facebook.com/AutisminScotland

Pedrinho wrote: Is it true that Lionel Messi was diagnosticated as an autistic child????

I think it was a height disorder.

Wow thats nice. Wish i had one. I had a friend with autism. She was bad, had to stay in bed all day couldnt do anything. Its was really sad. She always seemed happy though. She is no longer with us because of her autism . But she is not forgotten. Thank u PH for showing us this and making known of the month. Karma for u buddy.

Bumping it back to the top.

This was sent to me this morning on my I-Phone. So those of you who want to lean more can listen for free on the seminar from Yale regarding the different Autism subjects.
itunes.apple.com/us/course/autism-and-re...83?enlh=7&mt=10&ls=1

Autism sucks and no one seems to care about how common. Its become we need to find a cure as soon as possible

when I was younger (kindergarden-2nd grade) my best friend had autism. he was really nice and his parents worked really hard with him. its too bad things like this exists

My son was diagnosed at three with Autism and with a lot of hard work he has come a long way and has been in a regular classroom setting now this year 65 to 70 percent of the time...
It's been a long road and my goal is to help him anyway I can...
Our sons and daughters are counting on us and we can't let them down...
My son is now ten with lots of friends and I have acted like a father and not a friend but he tells me he will always love me cause were best friends...
I love you Edward and I will never let you down....
DAD...

Sonnycruz77 wrote: My son was diagnosed at three with Autism and with a lot of hard work he has come a long way and has been in a regular classroom setting now this year 65 to 70 percent of the time...
It's been a long road and my goal is to help him anyway I can...
Our sons and daughters are counting on us and we can't let them down...
My son is now ten with lots of friends and I have acted like a father and not a friend but he tells me he will always love me cause were best friends...
I love you Edward and I will never let you down....
DAD...

Sonny,
Thanks for sharing. Know that you, Edward and the rest of your family do not stand alone. There are tons of people rooting for y'all. Although it seems so insignificant, I gave you a karma bump for sharing. You have my respect and admiration. As I said, my wife is a special education teacher. I have learned so much through her. She works with autistic children every day. She comes home with some of the most touching and sometimes heartbreaking stories. I know it's a tremendously hard job as a teacher and I can only imagine what it's like as a parent. Hang in there. Keep up that "Fathering". It's the right thing to do and all you have to do is hear him tell you that he loves you to know it.

PH

Sonnycruz77 wrote: My son was diagnosed at three with Autism and with a lot of hard work he has come a long way and has been in a regular classroom setting now this year 65 to 70 percent of the time...
It's been a long road and my goal is to help him anyway I can...
Our sons and daughters are counting on us and we can't let them down...
My son is now ten with lots of friends and I have acted like a father and not a friend but he tells me he will always love me cause were best friends...
I love you Edward and I will never let you down....
DAD...

WOW, sonny, the next 24 hours karma is coming at you. love how you signed off that message

Okay okay, I done a boo boo and gave Parrot sonny's Karma ..... I will get you to 15 before you can count to 108,000 seconds! (30 hours)

Richyroo wrote: Okay okay, I done a boo boo and gave Parrot sonny's Karma ..... I will get you to 15 before you can count to 108,000 seconds! (30 hours)

I gave him one for ya PooFace

Okay, I should've kept shut, ill pay you back another for that after 36 hours

I mentioned the movie "Rainman" in an earlier post. Although a good movie in its own right, it was a glorified image of Autism. It was one of the first to bring Autism to everyone's attention and deserves some credit for that. If you would like to see a movie about a truly amazing autistic person I suggest Temple Grandin. It is a heart string tugging inspirational flick about a "real" person with Autism and how she coped and, in my opinion, excelled (not despite of, but because of).


www.imdb.com/rg/em_share/title_web/title/tt1278469