World Autism Awareness Day, 2013

Today is April 2, 2013.  In my world, that means it's Autism Awareness Day.  A day where I am truly not alone in promoting Autism Awareness.  A day where you can easily find anything about Autism that may interest you.  A day where all of our voices come together to shout "HERE WE ARE!" as one.

Yes, that day is today.  And that means I will post any and everywhere I can to help get the word out.  You see, the numbers of individuals being diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder isn't shrinking, but growing.  And it's not just about changing the definition of what Autism is, or that would have stopped years ago.  The truth is, we don't know why the numbers are going up.  We just see that end result.

Each individual with Autism is truly unique.  No two people on the spectrum are the same.  My house is proof of this, with twins who are as different as they can be.  Their specific diagnosis may be the same, but that's about it.  They like different things.  They handle situations differently.  And they learn differently.  But they both demonstrate love and affection, and not just "in their own way".  They both love to be hugged and cuddled.  They both will tell us, "I Love You!" which is an amazing feeling to any parent.  And they are both two of the brightest lights you could ever find.

You may meet someone on the spectrum that would make you think of my Ballerina or Music Man.  Or they may have nothing in common with them......except a diagnosis.  This is a part of who they are.  And watching them for 4 years has made me realize something.  I'm not here to "fix" them.  But I am here to make sure that the world doesn't see them as a burden.  They, along with their fellow Auties (and Aspies), deserve equal opportunities.  Sometimes we have to make sure they understand the expectations, but there is no reason that they shouldn't have the chance of success as their "normal" peers.

After all, who defines what "Normal" is anyway?