Being Aware of Autism

We have certainly come a long way in raising awareness of autism from the days when I first started working with these kids 35 years ago (35??- really???). I would tell people I worked with autistic kids and they would respond with "oh, are you artistic yourself?" And then a lengthy explanation of what autism was in response to suggestions that these children were really emotionally disturbed, brats, spoiled, rude,  etc. Now, most people know or have some idea of what autism is and accept that it is not caused by 'refrigerator' mothers. And usually they are aware of someone who has autism - a family member, neighbor, friend's child. But as the saying goes, if you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism. They are all so different!

The increase in awareness is very evident when speaking to young people of child bearing age. Coming from a large family (there were 10 of us and 5 in my husband's family), I have 36 nieces and nephews. Since they are all aware of what I do, I get lots of questions regarding their chances of having a child with autism and they are very concerned. I know I would be. The chances of 1 in 88 children having this disorder is downright scary. While there is likely a very strong genetic predisposition, there is something or things in the environment that is triggering the autism to manifest itself. Until we discover whatever these things may be, no one will or should rest easy. The consequences for all of us are far too great. The lifetime economic needs, not to mention the emotional strain and loss of productivity in a family can be extreme. So, while its great we have definitely increased awareness, there's still much to be done to solve this incredible enigma.