World Autism Awareness Day

April 2nd 2009 Marks International Autism Day. The primary objective of World Autism Awareness Day,is dedicated to raising awareness of Autism as a growing global health crisis.

World Autism Awareness
Initially I will provide a quick overview into “What is Asperger’s Syndrome and later How This Disorder Changed My Life”. In 1944 a Viennese pediatrician called Hans Aspergers published in his doctoral thesis a study in which he had observed four boys who were quite unusual in their social, linguistic and cognitive abilities. He used the term autistic psychopathy”to describe a type of personality disorder. His description was largely ignored in Europe and the United States for the next thirty years and he died in 1980 only a few years before the syndrome achieved international recognition. In 1981 Lorna Wing was the first person to use the term Aspergers syndrome in a published paper. But it was not until 1991 when Doctor Uta Fritz translated Hans Aspergers doctoral thesis into English that the syndrome became known.

In the 1990s the prevailing view was that Aspergers syndrome was a variant of Autism and a Pervasive Developmental Disorder. This condition affects the development of a wide range of abilities which includes: a total lack of empathy, little ability to form friendships, one-sided conversations, intense absorption in a special interest and clumsiness. Evidence suggests this disorder is far more common than classic autism, it affects one child in every three hundred and a significantly higher number of boys rather than girls are affected.

My personal experience of the disorder happened with the birth of my second child in 1981. This is my story. My second child was a beautiful baby boy and he suffers from Aspergers syndrome, a mild form of Autism, a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties in these areas; social interaction, communication, imagination, sensory insensitivity, motor clumsiness. There was no sign, no warning that anything was wrong, he was so perfect and it was a time of immense joy. But that joy was short-lived. From the time I took him home he was irritable, cried constantly and hardly ever slept. It was discovered he had an aversion to cow’s milk and was given soya milk formula instead. This was the turning point for us all and life began to get back to normal. But maybe it was only wishful thinking on my part because as time went by I noticed certain things about my child and his behavior which concerned me.

My son did not achieve the usual milestones which my daughter had attained at the same age. When he became mobile at around 18 months, he was hyperactive and became obsessed with different objects. As he got older other obsessions became more obvious and very dangerous not only for him but other children too. Despite voicing my concerns to so called professionals I was told my son was a “normal healthy toddler”. But during his early schooling years my doubts and concerns about his delayed development resurfaced. His distractibility, unpredictability and poor concentration were creating difficulties especially in the management of his behavior and keeping himself safe.

During his primary and secondary years his schooling was wrought with problems and his relationships with teachers were strained and tumultuous at times. Their perceptions of my son were not good. They looked at his bad disruptive behavior and not at the causes. There was no acknowledgement that he did have a disability and they demonstrated a total lack of understanding and patience.

His teenage years were the most difficult times; the frustration, aggression and anger which had built up over many years burst at the seams. At times, we were a family in crisis and no one believed our situation or wanted to know. As a family unit we were being torn apart and he was upsetting the balance of the family. Long-term friendships were lost because they could not accept or understand his disability and the bizarre behavior associated with it.

Since leaving school my son has spent most of his daytime in sheltered employment. He is now twenty eight years old and still living at home. My life has been difficult and challenging since his birth and throughout the following years. But although many times have been marked by episodes I would rather forgot, there have been many happy and positive moments. This is the reality for families who have children with Aspersers syndrome and autism. Society has to accept and include all people regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, age, gender. Rather than focusing on their disability, individuals need to look at the strengths they possess and their positive points. The beautiful picture above this article is a good illustration of how everything around us is beautiful and yet each part of the picture is different. Each part complements the other and as a whole it is beautiful.