Tag Archives | educate

When apples talk to oranges about steak

By on September 26, 2011 in Autism

I’m sure you’re aware by now of the dialogue going on over at The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, and if not… it’s probably a good time to give it a once over. Keep in mind that there are some very long posts and, depending on when you read this, more coming soon… make sure you set aside some time before popping over.

I’ve been biting my tongue through this “dialogue” for a variety of reasons. If you don’t want to go into it with any preconceived notions from yours truly, go there now before reading my post.

How this all started

Let’s just be clear on where this all originated. The “non-disabled parent” wrote a post (that you can read here) about an imaginary parent going to a movie that made rude remarks about Down Syndrome and used the R word and so forth… he imagined how that parent would feel if that parent had a child with Down Syndrome and had to hear this in the movie and all the rest of the audience laughing at it.

In response, the “disabled adult” (autistic) took great offense (you can read it here) to this in that he can’t possibly know what it’s like to be disabled and has no right to be so offended.

Obviously this is a very short summary and I’m paraphrasing, so please feel free to read those two posts to understand exactly what transpired.

But to reiterate… there is now a “discussion” about what parents can and can’t understand, can and can’t discuss and who the real “advocates” are… based on a parent writing about how another (imaginary) parent might have felt.

He didn’t imagine himself being a child with Down Syndrome… he wrote about how a fellow parent might feel.

Apple, meet orange… begin discussion about steak.

Where does this discussion lead?

Hopefully to a good place, hopefully some really good mutual understanding and maybe… if we’re really lucky, even teamwork toward the future will come of this.

However, there’s always different people who find different meanings from all things and therefore, there may also be some much more… well, I would call them “less positive” possible outcomes.

As one person linked to the discussions, I replied to their link saying that I’m biting my tongue.

A woman replied to me, this is what she wrote:

Me: Autistic parent of an autistic child
I’ll comment on this tomorrow

Person without a disability
Why can’t you just come out and say it?

I did not reply to her, I once again bit my tongue because I did not see any possible good outcome from a discussion that begins in that tone.

Still, I really wanted to ask… Is this how we are to address each other from here on out? Is this truly what it’s coming to? Are we, two groups who are fighting the labels that people place on us, going to now refer to each other using labels?

What’s better is… this woman has no idea if I have Autism or not. This was a completely presumptuous reply based on my “biting my tongue” comment.

Is this truly the road we’re going to go down? Is this going to be a benefit to anyone?

Communities?

Adding to the further separation and division, adding to the need to be labeling people in the effort to come together and abolish labels… we now have the Autism Community, Autistic Community, Disability Community and Non-Disability Community… and those who feel that some people belong in multiple communities while others don’t belong in any communities at all.

What does this all mean?

As a group, we’re asking society for acceptance of those that are different… yet we can’t even accept the differences in each other.

We fumble over ourselves declaring superiority, inferiority, privilege, rights, responsiblities and more… in an effort to separate and divide ourselves, to judge one another, label each other and “feel about” each other… all the while telling outside observers to simply accept the differences within us all: gender, race, income, special needs, etc.

You might as well get money management advice from a random homeless person.

Steak

The meat of the discussion, which everyone is discussing but few can seem to agree on, is that we need to listen to each other, talk to each other and work together.

There’s an old saying… “Believe in yourself and others will believe in you too“. In this case, we have to accept each other so that others will accept us as well.

And by us, I don’t mean “non-disabled parents”, I don’t mean “disabled adults”… I mean us. All of us. Advocates. People. Human beings.

Telling each other to shut up or to speak up or what to say or what not say is not the best message to send to the world, it’s not the lesson we wish of others to learn, it’s not the example we need to set.

We all have a vision of how best to educate the world, we all have a vision of how everything would work the best… we all have our own visions. That’s part of what makes us all unique. Those visions all come from having a different life, different experience, different education, different soul…

So long as our visions create conflict, none of them will ever come to life. And it won’t be society’s fault. It will be our own.

Apples and Oranges are different, but they’re both good for the world. They both grow, reproduce, respond well to proper caring and nurturing… and at the end of the day, they’re both fruits.

In fact, maybe they’re not so different after all.

I really hope for the best in these discussions so that we can accept each others differences, rejoice in our commonalities and find a way to work together in educating others how to do the same.

Comments { 33 }

Handheld devices and the benefits to children with autism

By on September 14, 2011 in Autism

I mentioned on Twitter the other day that my son wants a Nintendo 3DS for Christmas and a few parents got into a discussion about how great the handheld devices were for children with Autism. Also, when I wrote about taking children with Autism out to restaurants, a lot of parents were quick to point out that they often brought along devices as well to help.

So what is it about handheld devices that are so great for children with Autism? What are the downsides?

It’s all about control

handheld devicesHaving something right in your hand gives you complete control over it. That means that if you pause a movie, take a wrong turn in a game, flip pages in a book too fast… no one will be upset, no one will say anything… it’s only for you and you are in control of it.

You don’t have to wait for anyone to do anything, you don’t have to ask for permission before making choices… it’s all yours.

Doing what you love

My son loves to read books and play video games, which means that I can put a book in his hand or a handheld video game system and he’ll keep himself amused for hours. It’s what he loves and it’s right there in his hand.

When we parents think about bringing something to the restaurant to amuse our children, we don’t grab things they hate.. we get what they love.

Sometimes that takes trial and error but most likely you’ll find something pretty quick, especially since they get to control it.

Blocking out the world

The best thing about having something in your hand, engaging your senses is that it allows you to block out other input around you, such as sights and sounds.

If you have Autism, this could be huge. No more restaurant noises bothering you… however, if you’re a parent trying to get your autistic child’s attention while they’re playing a handheld game.. you may find yourself getting frustrated pretty quick.

Putting the three together… you have something you love, complete control over it and you can immerse yourself into that handheld world, blocking out the rest.

These are very important to children in general, more so to those that have Autism. People with Autism focus intently on the things they love, to the point where they need to block out the rest of the world.

Educational

Everything your child absorbs when they can control it, love it and focus solely on it is learned on a scale far greater than any other method.

And it doesn’t have to be an educational program or math book to do it either. There are life lessons in movies, there are problem solving and motor skill building qualities to video games. Your child will gain a lot of valuable knowledge and skill simply by being so engaged by that device in their hands.

There are no distractions, they love it and get to enjoy it even more when they have full control over it. What they learn… they learn. It doesn’t just go in one ear and out the other.

If you do get them reading a book, or doing an educational program on the ipad or something along those lines… all the better!

The one big downside

There is one major problem that most everyone will run into, Autism or not… but a child with Autism will find it even more difficult… that is when it comes time to turn it off.

The more a person loves something, is in control of it and is completely immersed in it as if it’s your whole world… the harder it is to have it ripped away.

I don’t know anyone that had an easy time getting a game, or book, or movie, or ipad, etc away from their child when they’re fully immersed in it. It’s going to be a battle…. at first.

But you can look at it more as a way to practice for the real world because let’s face it… if they don’t learn how to let go now… there will come a time when they’ll have to do it at school, work or just generally in public and if they haven’t had that practice, it could be a huge problem.

It used to be the #1 cause of meltdowns for my son.. he’d do great all day, get a game for a reward and then blow up when it came time to turn it off. But as I said, it “used to be”. He’s so much better now because he’s learned, over time, that it’s ok to put it down. It’s ok to put it off for another time because soon enough, if he behaves, there will be another time.

We just had to endure the meltdowns for a while to get to this point.

Handheld devices such as books?

You may have noticed I referenced books in with the other electronics in my examples… for Cameron, he loves books. A lot of the time, we can get a book from the library or from a friend and he’s more than happy to sit down with that for an hour.

He can’t read much of it (only really small words) but that doesn’t stop him from enjoying it.

You don’t have to force feed your child movies or video games… anything they love will do. Sensory objects, art work, books, money… yeah, my son also loves to sort out coins and such.

That being said, there’s nothing wrong with movies, games or ipads… they’re all helping your child to learn too. You may wish to limit those things a bit more but still, there’s no harm in giving your child a good game or movie.

The escape, the interactions…. all of it is not only good, it’s important. Your child may have a meltdown when it’s time to turn it off but it’s still valuable coping skills they’re learning.

Don’t feel like you’re doing anything wrong by letting your child stare at something in their hands for an hour or two… it’s good for them. It’s a valuable growing tool.

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The Jenny McCarthy-Autism paradox

By on August 8, 2011 in Autism vs Vaccines

Jenny McCarthy Autism

Perhaps I titled this article wrong… paradox should be plural.

If you’re an avid Jenny McCarthy fan and have some very strong beliefs in certain things, this may upset you but I still ask that you read with an open mind.

1998

Wakefield releases a study stating ties between the MMR vaccine and Autism… not stating exactly that one causes the other, or that you should stop taking vaccines… but that’s the message that the public receives. The media doesn’t help much nor does Wakefield in subsequent interviews.

1999

Thimerosal is removed from almost all vaccines in the US, except for some flu vaccines.

As a side note… Thimerosal was never in the MMR vaccine.

May 18th 2002

Jenny McCarthy’s son, Evan, is born.

2005

Evan, 2, begins having seizures so severe that he’s repeatedly rushed to hospital emergency. – http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1968100-2,00.html

Evan is diagnosed with Autism at the age of 2.

Remember, Evan was 2 in 2005 until May.

2006

Jenny writes about her “crystal child” in Insights of an Indigo Mom: A Mother’s Awakening… in which she writes about chain smoking and cheeseburgers up until his birth at which point she changed to Hepa air filters and eating vegetarian.

I wonder why she never blamed the chain smoking and cheeseburgers… also, one would wonder why she’d write about Cystal/Indigo stories if he was diagnosed with Autism 

2007

Jenny changes her story in May, saying that he’s not really a “crystal child”, he’s actually Autistic. – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_McCarthy#Activism_and_autism_controversy

She claimed that the MMR vaccine specifically caused his Autism… and began campaigns against Thimerosal despite the fact that it never contained Thimerosal and he was born several years after Thimerosal was removed from most vaccines.

Jenny goes on a book writing spree over the next several years, publishing several books on motherhood as well as “healing Autism”.

2008

Jenny begins her crusade against Autism, becoming a spokesperson for Generation Rescue and TACA and appearing on several radio and television programs, including Oprah. Each appearance includes endorsements for her books.

Jenny also claims that Evan has “recovered”… which isn’t the same as cured. But it doesn’t stop the media from using that word a lot in articles about her and her son.

Jenny and Jim Carrey begin a “march on Washington” to “green our vaccines”. When interviewed, Jenny claims that Evan was “undiagnosed with Autism”.
Jenny also reinforces that she is not anti-vaccine but rather for safer vaccines and spaced out schedule. An excerpt:

Don’t do more than one shot in a visit. Do you see what I’m saying? Not to not vaccinate. Space them out, ask for mercury-free. Make sure your child is not sick before you vaccinate. Your child does not have a good immune system. How is it supposed to detox the vaccine? Test your child for an immune system. Make sure they have really good glutothion. Glutothion is your body’s naturally antioxidant to detox these things.

2010

Doctors and scientists start to question McCarthy and the diagnosis that her son received, claiming that his symptoms more closely resemble Landau-Kleffner syndrome… very similar to Autism but treatable. – source http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1968100-2,00.html

Despite the possibility that he never had Autism to begin with, Jenny confirms that she’ll continue to “be the voice” for the disorder. She also begins to realize that it wasn’t really the MMR vaccine after all, stating that she just wants vaccines to be safer, rather than getting rid of them entirely.

2011

Jenny joins the Generation Rescue board in January.

Jenny speaks out in support of Wakefield, claiming “I know children regress after vaccination because it happened to my own son” and asking “Why have only 2 of the 36 shots our kids receive been looked at for their relationship to autism?”

One would wonder why there’s any need to check the other vaccines if she’s so certain it’s the MMR.

Jenny continues onward, claiming that “kids do recover from Autism” as her son did, with a gf/cf diet and vitamins. Previous articles went into more details of his treatments including “a gluten-free, casein-free diet, vitamin supplementation, detox of metals, and anti-fungals for yeast overgrowth that plagued his intestines. ”

What can we take from all of this?

Well, first, we have the fact that the blame she has shifts radically from Thimerosal (ethyl-mercury) to the MMR vaccine itself to the vaccine schedule (multiple vaccines at one time) to simply vaccines in general, asking for more research.

Secondly, she seems very conflicted about what exactly her child may actually have. First there’s crystal child/indigo mom theories, then it’s Autism and now there’s questions of Landau-Kleffner syndrome which, from what I can tell in my research, she has never actually explored.

Third, almost everything she gets involved with seems to have a heavy self promotional feel to it. Many praise her for getting into the spotlight for Autism awareness but at the same time, there are many people who believe she does it simply to get herself into the spotlight. Most notably when she recently offered to pose nude once again for Autism awareness reasons.

Finally, and this is a big one… she has become the leader of the anti-vaccine movement despite the fact that she never once said she is anti-vaccine herself…. and in fact, professed many times to wanting more research, safer schedules and “greener” vaccines.

Much like Wakefield, who had his own patent for a vaccine as partial replacement of the MMR vaccine (who would patent a vaccine if he was anti-vaccine?!?), her concerns over vaccine safety lead to hysteria and paranoia among parents who now place their children at much greater risk than they ever were before.

In my opinion

Seriously, as others have said before… stop listening to a Playboy bunny/actress for medical advice. That’s not to say that she’s not allowed to have an opinion. She is… but she’s doing the same research you are. She’s not a doctor nor a researcher.  She’s a mom just like every other mom and her opinion holds the same weight.

Also, stop putting words in her mouth that she didn’t even say. She never said she was anti-vaccine and she never told you to not vaccinate. Don’t tell me she did. Whether you hate me right now for writing all this or not, don’t assume I haven’t researched this. I have. I know she’s “pro-safety” and not “anti-vaccine.”

Lastly, and this is just my opinion… people of high influence, such as celebrities, should be very very careful about what they randomly put out there. These are our children and unless you are absolutely certain (and when it comes to vaccines, no matter what you think you know, you are NOT absolutely certain), you should not be putting fears and doubts and unproven concerns into the minds of people that could put themselves and their children at risk.

The point is, there is a chance that what you *think you know* may be wrong. There is an even bigger chance that the way people interpret what you say may be wrong.

The one clear message through this entire post, that I’d like for you to take from this is, Wakefield and McCarthy are not anti-vaccine!!!

Despite them both saying that they are for safer vaccines, they have not made it abundantly clear that they are not anti-vaccine.

Wakefield needs to stop putting out articles on studies, McCarthy needs to stop putting out articles on recovery and her own story.

What they need to do (if they insist on continuing) is write articles and do interviews that consist of nothing except them telling parents “Vaccinate your children! Do not withhold vaccinations. Vaccines save lives!” They need to explain their stance, clearly and definitively. If they are pro-safety and not anti-vaccine… then why are anti-vaccine activists praising their work?

If they have no intentions of making this clear, then they should no longer be in the media, in my opinion. Because the message they think they are sending is not the message that some parents are receiving.

This is the Jenny McCarthy paradox as I see it. On one hand, I respect her work to raise awareness. On the other hand, I despise the self promotion and her willingness to let parents continue to be anti-vaccine in her name.

Is it any wonder that people’s opinions of her are so conflicting?

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Should you tell a stranger if you suspect their child may have autism?

By on August 2, 2011 in Autism

Recently, the folks at Babble.com asked the question “Would you tell a stranger if you thought her child might be autistic?”

parentsDepending on your convictions, you would likely answer it pretty quickly, one way or another but after putting some more thought into it…. well, let’s just say there are some very good arguments for saying yes or no.

As an example, let’s say you go to a community event where you meet new people and all of the children are playing. One child is not playing with the others, aligning toys in a row, making repetitive actions and the mother seems oblivious to any of this. She just thinks that her child is going through a phase or is “quirky” (we’ve all heard that one, right?).

Do you say something to her?

I’d like to go over some of the thoughts on this:

It’s none of your business

One of the most obvious answers and likely to be the most common is that it’s none of your business. They’re not friends, family.. you don’t know them. If they don’t know, that’s their problem. Let them figure it out in due course.

In theory, if you believe in that sort of thing, everything happens for a reason. If you interfere, you may be altering their course which could have been set for a reason.

But then one could argue.. perhaps you were there, at that time, to witness the autistic tendencies as part of that “everything happens for a reason” path and you were meant to say something…. hmm….

Either which way, is it your place to be making such assumptions of other people?

Will she be offended?

Most of us would assume that acting on behalf of your best interests would be a welcome and appreciated action however we all know better. Parents don’t appreciate other people pointing out their children’s flaws, much less giving them a label… certainly if that label is associated with a disability.

Some parents would even go so far as to hear “retard” in the place of “autism” and be ready to fight you for saying such a thing. Rightly so, the “r” word is not acceptable but many people still think that it and autism are the same thing.

Early intervention is passing them by

With every day spent in this “phase”, they miss valuable opportunities at getting treatments, therapies, financial aides, a shot at school support (IEPs) and so on. They are letting very valuable time slip by which means that in this case, ignorance is not bliss.

We all know the motto and there’s even a news story now that explains it well in terms of insurance coverage: Pay Now or Pay Later

Indeed, it is true. If that mother makes no effort to help her child…. what will the child’s future be like? If you don’t say something… their future could cost them a lot more than what some therapy would cost them now.

Are you certain of their situation?

If it’s a total stranger, chances are you don’t know. This person could be in denial, which means they know but don’t accept it, they could know but just not want to tell others (“a phase” sounds so much nicer than “disorder”) or this person could truly just be oblivious.

You really don’t know.

You also really don’t know if it’s actually Autism. Perhaps it’s something else (yes, there are other disorders which look similar). Perhaps, and this may shock you, it actually is just a phase. Yes, these things can be a phase in some children that they just move on from.

If you’re not a trained professional, and even then, it’s iffy, is it really your place to make all of these assumptions about their situation?

A responsibility to each other and our community

If you saw someone about to put their hands into a wood chipper… and you knew they’d lose their hands and struggle for the rest of their lives from that moment on… would you do something to stop it?

Do you have a responsibility to help others? Well, in the case of physical harm or death (dangerous situations), yes you do. In fact, you could be arrested and charged if you do nothing…. unless you’d be putting yourself in harms way to do it. Anyway.. you get my point.

In this case, it’s obviously not that black and white and Autism certainly isn’t life or death (although some would argue that with the number of wandering cases in the news continuing to increase).

But for the future of that child, maybe even the parents (if the child remains dependent for life) and even for the community around you that may have to pay for this child should he end up in a care home… if you say something now, you could help avoid all of that.

If you say something, the parent listens, a diagnosis is made, resources made available and all goes well…. the child’s life, parent’s life and even the community itself could benefit.

Conclusion – It Depends

Ultimately, there is no right or wrong answer.

Some situations are more obvious than others, some people seem more receptive than others, some people are better at broaching the subject with others… so the answer has to be… it depends.

Still though, I think the odds are that no.. you shouldn’t. There are more reasons not to than there are reasons to do it.

It’s unfortunate that autism still has such a stigma attached to it that suggesting such a thing would be so offensive.

Perhaps, as society grows and awareness (also understanding and acceptance) of Autism increases, maybe then it would be more acceptable to talk to a stranger about it like that.

I dream of a day when people are aware and unafraid to hear that their child may have Autism. Not that Autism is such a good thing but they know more about it and more about what to do should their child be diagnosed with it.

Right now, it’s still very much unknown among the general population. It’s a mystery. People know there is no cure. People know that it’s very expensive for therapies and treatments. People don’t know what Autism really is or that some people do live a very full and rewarding life with Autism.

With further education, with further understanding and acceptance, perhaps the answer to this question will be far more obvious… and far more positive. And when that happens, everyone will benefit from the kind word of a thoughtful stranger who only wanted to help.

Comments { 4 }

Autism Advocacy – Some ideas to get you started

By on July 27, 2011 in Autism

autism ribbonI have been rather fortunate to be able to write for not only my blog, but also some pieces for several other blogs as well. It turns out that writing is something that I rather enjoy and I can even be proud to say that I do quite well.

It occurred to me though, that not everyone is a great writer… or comfortable with public speaking… but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be a great advocate. Some people find some great ways to advocate while others still struggle to find what works for them.

So I thought I’d put together some thoughts and ideas in ways that you could help be the advocate you really want to be even if you have no formal training or previous expertise.

Every day life

Probably the most recognized and frequently used method for advocacy is simply to live life with Autism or with a child that has Autism. You’ll find yourself explaining it to friends and family, you’ll find yourself correcting others or volunteering information when people ask… sometimes you might even have to explain yourself or your child in a public setting if something embarrassing happens.

When you live it, you advocate it simply by walking out your front door.

Don’t be afraid to answer questions, don’t be afraid to offer information. You don’t have to have all the answers, just your own experiences. Explain how it’s not the same for everyone but you can offer your own knowledge on the topic.

People are very receptive, people are often very willing to learn. You don’t have to advertise it but don’t hide it either. When someone shows an interest, speak up.

Wearing Autism Merchandise

Wearing something on yourself is not only a subtle reminder to people but can be a conversation starter. There are a lot of choices, some people even opt to get a tattoo!

What ever it is you do, don’t go overboard. The last thing you want to do is annoy people with it. So keep it smart, keep it clever and even classy if you can. Funny is good too but can be offensive to some if you’re not careful.

Ultimately, so long as you’re not annoying anyone… do what ever looks good on you.

Volunteer

Most charities and events are non-profits… meaning that they don’t do what they do to make money, they do it to fund research or support families.

That means that they could really use the help, since they have no extra money to pay people. And usually it only involves and afternoon or just a few hours but your help would be invaluable.

In these instances, I like to think of it as the worker bee scenario.

Events, such as concerts, walks, bbq’s, etc take a lot of people to pull off properly. Whether it’s flipping burgers, getting people’s names… what ever.

Each and every little job is not only important, it’s necessary… and if they can’t fill those spots, the entire event could be in jeopardy.

Your help, whether big or small, for hours or days, is a big part of it’s success. If you can’t afford to donate, if you can’t be a public figure… just pitch in and help out. It’s needed more than you know.

Local Support Groups

Every community, big or small, has at least one local support group. Those groups usually consist of people with valuable information that you can learn from but there’s often people there that have no information, that need information… that feel quite lost and alone.

Someone at that meeting will likely step up and help those people out… that someone could be you.

You don’t have to pay their mortgage, just help them to realize that they’re not alone. Give them some friendly advice, a shoulder to lean on…. take an hour or two to be a part of a team.

You could learn, teach and grow, all the while making friends and maybe even new friends for your children.

Donate

So maybe you don’t have a lot of time but you are able to muster $10 or $20 here and there… donate it. Keep the receipts for your taxes.

Charities do some amazing work but they don’t do it all on their own. They need donations from people like you and me to fund the work they do.

Also, no matter how hard you have it, there is always someone or an entire family out there that has it worse. Those people struggle far more than you or I could even imagine and they need support far beyond what you or I could give them as individuals.

That’s where charities come in. They pool those donations and build valuable support for those families using the donations from us all.

You don’t have to donate hundreds, every little bit helps.

Take part in the events

I mentioned volunteering to help events run smoothly but it’s also just as much of a help to actually take part in the event… like a walk or fundraiser.

The AutismSpeaks Walk for Autism events have proven very successful in raising donations as well as general awareness all over the world. And all you have to do is walk.

Several other charities and even just local businesses and people right in your own city hold events all the time. Find them, get involved. You don’t have to work if you don’t want to. Just be there.

In fact, you don’t really even have to be there. Help get the word out about them. Tell friends, post to your social networks…. if you get 2 other people to take part in it, you’ve doubled what you could have done just by being there yourself.

If you do get 2 friends to do it and do it yourself too… well, you can see how something relatively small can grow to something very big and very worthwhile very quickly.

Make up something, do what you do best

As @OperationJack says: “Whatever you do best. For me, unfortunately, that requires running waaaay too much.” He’s a marathon runner. When his son was diagnosed with Autism, he decided to run to raise awareness as well as donations. He ran over 61 marathons in 2010!

Another Twitter member, @invisaWriter suggested: “if you know how to plan a killer party you could do fundraiser dinners, or maybe you can organize boxtops for edu. collections”…  not a bad idea!

Use your strengths… even if what you do has never been used for advocacy or fund raising before, try to put some thought into it. You can make it happen!

We’re all equals

I often marvel at how public speakers can travel the country, helping people all over…. or at book writers who can produce amazing pieces of literature that informs and even inspires.

The truth is though, when it comes to being an advocate, we’re all equals.

From talking to a neighbor about Autism to telling the country on national television, we’re equals. We do the same thing… we inform. We have the same purpose, to inform.

The only number that is important to an advocate is 1. If you can inform 1 person, if you can open the eyes of just 1 person, if you can make just 1 person recognize the difference…. if you can inspire just 1 person to want to make a difference…. you’ve done your job.

Whether you write, speak, walk, donate, volunteer… what ever it is you do, your goal is to reach out to 1 person and have them understand.

If you can do that, do it again and again and again… always aim for 1. Before you know it, you’ll have reached hundreds, maybe even thousands.

Ideas from you

I asked this on several networks, here are some of the responses I received.

Sometimes the most effective thing you can do is just be 'out there':
live your life openly, don't try to hide it or be ashamed of it.
It is what it is. You can also give moral/financial support to
others who can go out and speak, write books, etc.




Answering people's questions as they are asked. Wearing Autism Awareness
stuff, my brother got a tattoo to help raise awareness and has become a
conversation starter...








I've been helping make a local Asperger Support Group for Adults and
Children become a 501(c)(3) organization. A lot of work, but it's so
rewarding when we see the families we help!!








I agree, to speak up when people ask questions, to tell people about your
journey. I have been amazed and overwhelmed how people want to listen, get
involved and even donate money to try to help my son be able to speak! I
used to lock myself away and at one stage became very isolated and
defensive. I turned my life around when I took positive action to raise
awareness of autism and what I'd been going through, people all of a sudden
became understanding, supportive and encouraging! Search for Time to Talk
Liam on Facebook to see what ive been doing. People don't understand,
unless you tell them, it's just not possible for them to understand
without you telling them. I'll keep speaking out for my son, until the day
he is able to speak himself! And even after that too probably!!!








I'm an autism advocate in that I ensure that my daughter gets treated like
everybody else, no matter what I have to do. :)








If there is no local clearinghouse for info on ASD and how to handle,
start one.




Please feel free to share your ideas as well!


	

	

		
   
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