Greetings All

   Here is the latest message that I have received from the Autism Society of America. It is full of good news and Ideas about how we can all help our children with Autism. We really are making progress but there is still a very long way to go.

Dear william, A special thank you for your gift this holiday to support the work of ASA. Donate Now! If you read the November 27th Newsweek article on autism, you may have been struck, as I was, with the last quote: "When Isabel achieves something, I feel like we're a team, like we all did it, and I feel incredibly rewarded.” I feel that way about our extended family in the autism community. We are a team. We achieve our victories together. Even the smallest victory for a child or adult with autism is a victory for all of us. We are reminded that there is hope, there is progress, and there is a full, dignified life available for those we love. The Newsweek article, along with additional prominent articles featuring ASA in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal online, CBS News and PBS, are great indicators of the growing national awareness of autism spectrum disorders. And, we are having an impact: Congress recently passed the Combating Autism Act on December 7, authorizing almost $1 billion dollars for autism research and education. It is a tribute to what we as a community -- parents, grandparents and friends -- have achieved together in raising awareness, helping each other and funding crucial research. That is why I am asking you to help the Autism Society of America continue to support the autism community, advocate for greater funding of research through vital legislation like the Combating Autism Act, and explore the causes of autism through ground-breaking studies like the recent exploration of Environmental Factors in Autism Advocate. And as a special holiday thank you for your gift of $30 or more, I would like to send you this beautiful ornament inspired by the incredible painting, God's Butterfly, created by ASA 2006 Celebrating Talents winner Steven Knox, who has autism. With fine detail and colors of surreal brilliance, this ornament is sure to make a great holiday gift item. I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity and continue to help us be the voice and resource of the autism community. We can't do it without you. With gratitude, Lee Grossman Father of a child with autism President and CEO Forward This E-mail To A Friend Received this e-mail from a friend? - Register for your own online Password Help | Questions/Feedback Unsubscribe

HI William,

Thanks for such an informative forum.

Here is something for all of us to reflect on...


My Autistic Son

"My son has autism so he's different to yours,
He looks just the same but has different laws,
Whilst your son had no say in the colour of his hair,
My son had no say in a condition that's quite rare.

Whilst your son squeals when you spring a surprise,
My son gets anxious and screams, kicks and cries,
Whilst your son finds a room full of kids a delight,
My son finds the noise wants to make him take flight.

Whilst your son stops when you say 'cut it out',
My son gets the scissors and looks all about,
Whilst your son sees magic as just an illusion,
My son exists in a state of confusion.

Whilst your son grasps the concept of road rules,
My son has a guardian as his only tools,
Whilst your son can deviate from the original trip,
My son freaks out as it's not in the script.

Whilst your son enjoys the playground at school,
My son is overwhelmed because there's no rules,
Whilst your son finds a classroom a stimulating notion,
My son is overwhelmed by excessive sound and motion.

Whilst your son and my son are a different pair,
They have lots of things in common to share,
Like good days and bad days, happy and sad,
But they both try their best to please mum and dad.

I look at my son now and I'm so filled with pride,
As he faces his devils when it's easier to hide,
I look in awe at the things he's achieved,
Things that just yesterday I would not have believed.

Without detracting from what your boy's done,
He hasn't had to contend with as much as my son,
When I see his achievements in a world that seems nuts,
I get a true understanding of what really takes guts.

When I think of his world that makes no sense at all,
Then I further admire his pain and his falls,
For his courage in confusions with such determination,
It is these kids that are the worlds' true inspiration."

Anon.


Here is a link to Mark Leland's song about autism, "Missing Pieces."
 
The song was created in an effort to help bring autism awareness to the world.
Please pass this along to others.
 
Have a tissue handy...
 
 
http://www.frinkfest.com/


God Bless,

Aparna

Hello Aparna

  There is no need to thank me for what I do in these forums. While I really

 do appreciate your kind words , I do this because I see so much suffering in our world that I feel we must all do what we can to help ease this suffering. It is especially important to do this for those who are less able to determine their own destinies. There are many segments of our society that consist of people who , for whatever reason, are less able to care for themselves than are the average, " normal people " Children are especially vulnerable to this seeming unfairness just simply because of the nature of being a child. Then, if their lives are complicated even more because of " special needs  " without our help, they will grow to be adults with special needs in a society where people with special needs are often over looked or even totally ignored.

   How many times have you heard someone say,  " I need to find the purpose of my life , the true meaning of life "  WEll, I belive that we all have at least one purpose for living. That is to become the best person that one can be and then help others learn to live their lives to their fullest potential. It really takes very little to bring a smile to someones face but if nobody actually tries to do this, there will be a lot of people who canot find a reason to smile today. A kind word, a gentle touch and a shared smile here and there and low and behold, we have A BETER WORLD.

   Aparna, Thank you for sharing a piece of yourself here on this page.  Most certainly, you have done your part, today, to make someones world a little better.

Hello Everybody

   Well, the war rages on between the believers and the non believers. Research results on the link between childhood immunizations and autism seem to vary greatly depending on who is doing the research. Personally, I don't care about the research. Many, many parents have reported dramatic changes in their children after getting their immunization shots. Amish children do not get autism and they also do not get these shots. Mercury is a known neurotoxin and it has been injected into our children at 50 times the level that is permmited in landfills. Forget about the research and do something to help these kids and families who are suffering with autism. Just for the record though, here is another research report from a Canadian study that finds fatal flaws with previous research and verifies the link between thimerosal and autism. Just follow the link below for the complete report.

http://us.f431.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?MsgId=6612_25960573_419643_2061_4700_0_507933_14989_1024680750&Idx=5&YY=88666&y5beta=yes&y5beta=yes&inc=50&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b&box=Inbox

 

Hi Bill and everyone.

Great Forum, important issue.

My workload makes it difficult sometimes for me to post but I do read.

I am a hypnotherapist in the U.K.

I have dealt with the many and varied forms of Autism and have found that , to use an autistic skills is often the answer.Many Autistic people see the world as uncommunicative, cruel and lacking in feeling, just the way in which they are judged.

I start out by pointing out that the problem is not that they dont understand social skills and manners but that their particular view of the world is not understood by the majority. I teach them to believe in themselves and to learn that, as unnescessary as it might seem to them, the world expects certain things of them. Although the anger and outbursts may often muddy this particular view for them, the majority do learn to say or do things which feel, to them, to be wrong.

It is the so called 'normal' in society that struggles to comprehend. I have many cases where two or more autistic kids get on and sort of understand each other better than other folks but still they tend to live on the very edge of society.

I really wish I had more time to write here.

Have a great and caring week.

Roger