True Statements

"Children with autism have been described as living in a world of their own. Some have no speech, others have a limited ability to speak".

"Autism can affect all degrees of mental ability, from those with severe learning difficulties to those with average intelligence".

"The causes are poorly understood, although it is clear that autism is a biological brain disorder. There is no cure. Most autistic children are perfectly normal in appearance, but spend their time engaged in puzzling and disturbing behaviour. "They find it difficult to understand the meaning of words and gestures".

"They can not express their thoughts and desires and everything around them appears chaotic. They often behave in bizarre and unpredictable ways. They may stare into space for long periods, throw uncontrollable tantrums, show no interest in people, including their parents, and pursue strange repetitive activities with no apparent purpose".

"Being told their child needs a good hiding is all part of normal life for their parents".

"Other people just assume we haven't disciplined them. They just don't understand how a perfectly normal looking youngster can be disabled, which can be very upsetting."

"Educational therapy at school can make life so much easier, but demand is high and resources are stretched to breaking point."

"Autism really takes its toll on other siblings and relationships so we spent a long time thinking about whether to try for another child".

"If a person has a sensory overload, then the world around him becomes very confusing. As a result a person with autism will stick to routines such as always taking the same route to school. Routines make the world less confusing to a person with autism".

"With a normal sensory system, stimuli coming into the brain like sounds, things we see, smell etc. are automatically filtered. Our sensory system is able to filter out the things we do not need to hear, see or smell. This is not the case with a person with autism. The world to them is very detailed. They see, hear, smell much more things than a person with a normal sensory system would".

"For them it is much more difficult to know what to focus on, to put the information into a larger context and think coherent. You could say that information coming into the brain of a person with autism is scattered around and is often meaningless to them. So their brain is much more disorganised than persons with normal sensory system. In order to cope, they need to organize their environment. Routines give them something to go by"

"I am a professional, in a high paying technical job. I excel at what I do and earn more than twice the money my friends make. I am slightly different, but not noticibly to most. It becomes more subtle every year as I learn the pattern of your behavior and duplicate it where appropriate. When I am alone, I rock back and forth (sometimes in front of people), I talk very fast (so i can get on to the other data I am hearing), I am obsessive about some things, and I have a few noticable flaws on top of all of this. More importantly I, along with almost all autistics, have a deeper sensitivity to people than most people seem to have. I hurt, feel, think, express myself, and love deeper than it sometimes seems possible. Now I have a slight case of autism, but don't let that stop you from understanding that we are all the same. Don't treat any of us like retards. In some ways I have a gift. And in the others you have one for me -- Understanding".

"Most autistics need the companionship of a pet(s) so they can feel love without judgement. Trust your heart and do not let society tell you what your child should be like. Love them and they will love you back in their way".

"Autistics do hear selective things but it is because they find certain sounds to harsh or confusing. It has to do with how the brain process what information is brought in and the brain of an autistic functions differently and cannot process stimuli".

" Autistic individuals can be taught to cope with their sensory processing diffculties but they can only cope it never goes away".

"Autistics cling to a set routine because they have diffculty making spontanious changes in their daily lives".

"Every person with autism is an individual, and like all individuals, has a unique personality and combination of characteristics. There are great differences among people with autism. Some individuals mildly affected may exhibit only slight delays in language and greater challenges with social interactions".

"Contrary to popular understanding, many children and adults with autism may make eye contact, show affection, smile and laugh, and demonstrate a variety of other emotions, although in varying degrees".

"Sometimes the touch or closeness of others may be painful to a person with autism, resulting in withdrawal even from family members. Anxiety, fear and confusion may result from being unable to "make sense" of the world in a routine way".

"While no one can predict the future, it is known that some adults with autism live and work independently in the community (drive a car, earn a college degree, get married); some may be fairly independent in the community and only need some support for daily pressures; while others depend on much support from family and professionals".

"Evidence shows that early intervention results in dramatically positive outcomes for young children with autism".

" Various types of therapies are available, including (but not limited to) applied behavior analysis, auditory integration training, dietary interventions, discrete trial teaching, medications, music therapy, occupational therapy, PECS, physical therapy, sensory integration, speech/language therapy, TEACCH, and vision therapy".
"Studies show that individuals with autism respond well to a highly structured, specialized education program, tailored to their individual needs".

"A well designed intervention approach may include some elements of communication therapy, social skill development, sensory integration therapy and applied behavior analysis, delivered by trained professionals in a consistent, comprehensive and coordinated manner".

"In addition to appropriate educational supports in the area of academics, students with autism should have training in functional living skills at the earliest possible age. Learning to cross a street safely, to make a simple purchase or to ask assistance when needed are critical skills, and may be difficult, even for those with average intelligence levels".

"A generation ago, the vast majority of the people with autism were eventually placed in institutions. Professionals were much less educated about autism than they are today; autism specific supports and services were largely non-existent. Today the picture is brighter. With appropriate services, training, and information, most families are able to support their son or daughter at home".