Today I am highlighting the Blog of someone I know who has decided to do a hike for Autsim. He has set up a blog and will be recording the events of his journey. I personally think this is a very worthy cause. Please check out his story at Hike4Autism.
According to the Autism Society of America
Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a "spectrum disorder" that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism, but increased awareness and funding can help families today.
When I was an undergrad learning about students with special needs, I never anticipated I would meet so many students who suffered from some level of autism. It seems that autism rates are on the rise and yet there is not much research on causes and treatments. While I was pregnant I kept wondering- Do Ultrasounds cause autism? Do vaccines cause autism? Are there genetic factors? Why is it occurring more in boys than in girls? Right now they seem to say that there are genetic and environmental factors for autism. That is not enough for me! Environmental factors can be any number of things. I want more information and the only way we as parents will get this information is through increased research. It seems like everyone knows aomeone who has a child with this dirsorder. It concerens me great deal.
I live in New Jersey and the Autism rates in this state are very high. To read more about this check out this article from the UMDNJ site.
While pregnant I read Jenny McCarthy's book Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism. I had read Belly Laughs and new she would give it to me straight. The book was very informative and changed my perspective on Autism. I was especially interested in how altering diet improved her son's condition. I have a great respect for her because she fought for her son. She followed her instincts and sought out alternative treatments.
You might want to check out additional New Jersey based Autism Blogs
- Facing Autism in New Brunswick (the province of New Brunswick in Canada- not New Jersey- sorry!)
- AutismVox
Autism Websites
http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/
http://www.mylivesignature.com/
4 comments:
Wow. I don't know what to say other than, "Thanks." I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out. Every little bit helps. Thanks again.
That is a great cause and you sure gave us lots of info! Thanks!
I know this sounds insane but I worry about autism all the time. My first two years of teaching, I taught inclusion classes with students with autism. You're right, changing diet can really help. The crazy thing is that my son is 11 weeks old and I'm constantly asking myself "is he ok?". I find myself making him focus on my face to reassure myself that he's not autistic. Like I said, I know this sounds crazy. I think we all have the one thing we are terrified of, and for me it's autism. I think this walk is great and you're right, we definitely need more research on causes.
Jen
I thanks for the shout out for my blog site, Facing Autism in New Brunswick, but I am based in the "real" New Brunswick, the province of New Brunswick in Canada. Just kidding about the "real" bit. :-)
I am glad to see your blog site and look forward to visiting it often.
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