Spread autism awarness

I’m autistic, in my third year of uni yet i find people know so little about it. People who know i’m autistic don’t believe that i’m on a full degree course, theres still so much of a misconception that autism is about intellect. Austism has nothing to do with intellect, only the social side of things. If this weren’t such a people orientated society i’d do fine.

There are even university lectureers whose advice for people with autism worried about being graded on a social aspect of a course e.g. speaking in front of the class about a subject is to ‘just get on with it’

I can cope with that, its just the fact that when i ask if i am to be graded on my social skills in conveying the information (eye contact and tone of voice are harder to learn than you think) the answer always seems to be to asure that the intellectual side won’t matter as much as i am in a group. Which is not what i asked in the first place.

It would be nice for people to at least understand that this is not an intellectual disability.

I belong to four different listservs related to autism and right now my contribution to “spreading awareness” is responding to newcomers to those lists and questions posted. The “create my own website” goal was originally going to be about autism. There were a couple parent websites that were super helpful to me when our son was first diagnosed.

Our son Max was diagnosed with autism in November 2005. He has so many other fine characteristics: sense of humor, affectionate, curious, great balance, learns new things very quickly, loves outdoors. . . I want him to think of himself in terms of his strengths and gifts not so-called limitations. Spreading awareness about autism is (to me) important because: parenting is a huge job under any circumstances and it is too easy to become isolated and feel you’re alone when you’ve got the extra responsibility of caring for someone who needs a lot.

i have a boyfriend with a mild case of high-functioning autism/aspergers syndrome. i think it is so important that people understand that there is a spectrum associated with autism, and that it has so much less to do with intelligence than many people think.

Autism – The Unfolding Mystery

When children have a disability of any kind, it can sometimes be very stressful for parents. For parents of children with autism, it can be an even greater challenge. Autism is a developmental disorder that affects multiple areas of development – like a child’s ability to develop speech, language, communication, social skills – and that results in many behavioral peculiarities, like repetitive conduct. And while Dustin Hoffman’s fictional portrayal of an autistic man in the movie Rain Man is most people’s reference point, autism in a child is a very real and life changing disorder for many families, as parents watch their child retreat into his or her own world. Join host Dr. Winnie King as we explore what it means to be autistic, how you can recognize the signs of autism in your child, and hear about new treatments and programs to help children learn to deal with the disorder. We’ll also meet a remarkable young man who was diagnosed with autism at age three, attended a unique day program and is now excelling in college!

One of my professors writes a comic strip about his son, who is autistic. It is called The Chelation Kid. Everyone should check it out and send it to everyone you know. It will help out a lot. Here is the link:

http://www.webcomicsnation.com/taillefer/chelation_kid/series.php?view=single&ID=36638