Autism: Let's Come Together to Find the Missing Piece

"But there's no cure". Those four words are heartbreaking, especially when they are spoken by an 8 year old boy who has autism. Although April was Autism Awareness Month, many walks for Cure Autism Now are still being held in various cities around the country. These walks help raise money towards autism research and have a lot of useful information for those interested in learning more about autism or for those trying to find resources for someone they know with autism.

My 8 year old nephew was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 years old. I say he is one of the lucky ones because many autistic children aren't diagnosed as early or they might be misdiagnosed as being developmentally delayed. The earlier a child with autism, the sooner parents can find proper resources to assist their child in learning. Since there is such a wide range of autism spectrum disorders, no one with autism or any form of it acts the same. Some autistics are nonverbal and can't communicate. Others are actually the opposite. The degree of severity varies for each individual.

Many people automatically think of the movie "Rain Man" when they hear someone talking about autism. That movie only touched on one man's experiences and doesn't paint an accurate picture of all autistic individuals. The autistic mind is a very interesting one. Things other people may not find interest in may fascinate an individual with autism. Many of them have excellent memories. This is true of my nephew. His memory capacity is greater than that of anyone I've ever seen. He is also very skilled in computers and identifying the makes and model numbers of public transportation trains and buses. This may not seem like much to someone who has not witnessed it, but complete strangers have been intrigued by his intellect.

Although he exhibits many strengths, it is still very obvious that his mind is not like that of other children his age. I hesitate to say "normal" because that can be defined in so many different ways. To other autistic individuals, their behavior may be normal to them because it is what they know. It shows how they think and how their brains interpret the information it is given. Someone may look at me and think I'm not normal based on my behaviors, opinions, or the things I say. This is why I don't think it's fair to judge autistic people as abnormal. One of my nephew's first teachers once made a comment that autistic children "needed to be trained like you would a dog." Needless to say, I found this comment to be very insulting. Not only was she dehumanizing autistic individuals, she actually compared them to an animal. No child needs to be trained like a dog. Instead, all children, no matter how they are should be raised and nurtured like human beings. Autistic children and other children with special needs will need extra nurturing and care. This teacher did not remain my nephew's teacher for long, and he is currently in a school where he is able to interact and participate in activities with children who do not have any special needs. Although his primary class is one for autistic children, he is able to learn with the other children as well instead of being isolated.

The prevalence of being diagnosed with some form of autism is now 1 out of every 166, with boys more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. When we see numbers like this, we must take a stand and raise awareness on this issue. Many families are affected by autism. Although everyone will have their own unique experiences to tell, we all come together for the same cause which is to help find a cure for autism.

Why are we trying to find a cure? After all I just stated that I didn't feel it was right to say an autistic individual was not normal. I still stand by this. However, this disorder affects the lives of many people and all of them aren't able to interact verbally or socially at all. Imagine living in a world where the population was only you. That's how the minds of some autistics are. They are living in their own little worlds. It would be great if they were able to experience life as many of us know it. To be able to understand more of what's going on around them. To not have certain sensitivities to things such as bright lights, noise, tastes, and touch. Autism doesn't like affect their neurological state, it also affects their emotional and social state. For some, their diet is affected and they have to be on a special diet free of certain foods. This is true for my nephew who is on a gluten-casein free diet. Growing up is hard enough without being treated like an outcast by one's peers because they don't understand why you make certain noises or behave the way you do. Seeing my nephew crying after having toys snatched out of his hands and being told he couldn't play with some other kids is heartbreaking. What's more heartbreaking is that as he continues to get older, he lets you know in so many words that he knows he is different somehow. He has said that "Autism hurts." Only he knows in which ways it hurts him. I can only imagine but I can sincerely feel his pain. This is why I believe it's important to raise awareness and fight for a cure. For my nephew and so many others out their like him, we need to show our support and do all that we can to help.