Did you know of autism?

I am curious to know how many of you were aware of autism before this show started. If this has been done before, then mods please close this topic.

I knew about autism,but I must admit this show did add some more knowledge about this condition,initial trauma the parents go through & how to deal with such special kids .

As many of you know, I am one of the moms with an autistic kid. My husband and I sat and watched the show's premier with great anticipation, and we were very impressed with the understated approach.

Even knowing about autism before my son was born, the realisation dawns on you so slowly when it is your own child. We never think--oh, this is autism! We blunder along, tired and confused, and the pieces of the puzzle come together erratically. I sat and thought about his whole life and personality, and said, "This could be.." and did some research, but that was after almost a year of struggling with symptoms we had not linked together in any way.

Sometimes I think it takes such force of personality and ego to interpret the child's thoughts, and explain them to doctors, family etc. A child who could talk would brush off our attempts to speak for them. In this case, though, we have to intuit what they are feeling and turn that into a 'maybe this will work,' since we cannot ask the child.

In the end, I love how the show has increased awareness of autism. If even one person shows compassion to a family instead of impatience, that is a huge victory.

Mahika.

i knew OF autism, but not much in depth...this show really added to my knowledge about it :)

Swaps! That was simply perfect. It's very true that this is a constant in our lives, and we cannot ever tell the autistic child to go play, or chill out, or sort out their own thoughts.

LOVE how you said that even if speech comes, the child still needs translation sometimes. That is at once a very sobering thought and a very touching one.

My son has developed an obsession with running water. Unfortunately, playing with the tap at the sink turned into a mess, with the walls and floor, and even the carpet outside the bathroom getting wet a few times. This evening, I put him outside the bathroom while I cleaned up the puddles, and when I turned around, he was standing and hugging the wall, tears spilling down his face because I spoiled his ritual. It was not even because he thought I was mad; he really just wanted to get back to the sink. I had to laugh because I must have seemed to him like this annoying obstacle...

You are right, though, I can't imagine having him any other way. They are what they are, and one loves the whole package.

Mahika.