Did you know???

Approximatly 67 million people are affected by Autism worldwide
Autism is the fastest growing serious developmental disability in the world
More children will be diagnosed with Autism than Diabetes, AIDS and Cancer
combined this year
Boys are 4 times more likely than girls to have Autism

There is no medical detection or cure for Autism

April 2nd is worldwide Autism Awareness day. The number of people affected by Autism is staggering- and increasing. We are learning a lot about this disability but we have a long way to go. I also bring this up because of the lack of understanding about Autism.
Every child with Autism does not take medication. We are struggling with that a bit now. We may add medication for sleep but we do not want our son to sleep walk through his day either by being on too much. It's a fine line- especially when it's a 5 year old.
What would we do if we had a down syndrome child, or a blind child? I don't know the answer. What I do know is if we had a child with down syndrome we would have been more prepared because we would have known through testing.
Autism does not mean no emotion. Our son is very affectionate and loves hugs. Positive reinforcement is more valuable to him than food or toy rewards.
The most frustrating part about autism is the constant regression. You feel like you have behaviors and issues under control and they return. You have to start over.
There are some very famous individuals on the spectrum. Bill Gates, Iassac Newton, Steven Spielberg, Albert Einstein and Daryl Hannah.
Our greatest challenge right now is keeping positive and keeping consistent. As with all parenting consistency is key. As with all parents, some days we give in out of exhaustion or frustration. BUT- we keep going, because we love our kids. Autism or no Autism.