Wednesday, April 02, 2008

World Autism Day

For something that has become so pervasive, autism is still a mystery and deeply misunderstood. I thought I was so well-informed and can even rattle off the telltale signs of this disease, but not until I saw this documentary on HBO did I realize that I didn't know as much as I think. The title of the movie, Autism the Musical, seems like an oxymoron but it truly is not. From this movie, I learned that autism is a broad spectrum of disorders. I was most struck by a little boy named Wyatt. He speaks clearly and with such maturity. He makes eye contact and can communicate effectively. He laughs and has feelings. He is not what I thought autism was.



So I am here to say that as a mom, you have to go out and learn more about this disorder. CNN has been running special articles and features all week. One of them was written by a CNN staffer who was recently diagnosed at 48 years old as having Asperger's. More stories can be found here .

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