Andrea T.

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Ashley R.

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Family Issues

What Is Autism?

Autism is found in one of every 150 children and is the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States. It strikes boys four times as often as girls. No one is sure what causes autism, but most experts agree it's a result of brain abnormalities--although it is not a mental illness--and it often runs in families. So far, there is no cure, but many symptoms can be improved with intervention. Get more info from the Autism Society of America at 1 (800) 3AUTISM or autism-society.org.

BY ANDREA T. ON 8/18/2008 10:38:00 PM 73 COMMENTS

73 READER COMMENTS

thank you so much for sharing that.!!!!! I have a little brother with autism

adeleinlove21 on 8/19/2008 10:15:49 AM

my friend has a little brother with autism

aniehaus on 8/20/2008 9:18:51 AM

thank you. one of the people i am in band with has a severe form of autism. It is really hard to communicate with him

harrypotterchick97 on 8/20/2008 10:39:26 AM

i have an older sister with autism and my mom i stressed a lot and i am glad you people at GL are taking the time to tell people about them. People with autism have feelings to.

odi101 on 8/20/2008 9:16:19 PM

thank you for sharing this. a kid in my grade with autism is always made fun of, and i tell my friends to stop and they dont get it. Im going to show them this and the autism society webstie.

hannahmazinggxo on 8/22/2008 10:39:08 AM

my cousin has autism. he is doing better and my aunt and uncle are always doing things to help him. Luckily he doesn't have such a severe case that he cant function, but it is a very difficult situation. thanks GL for posting this article!

fashionista8613 on 8/23/2008 6:28:52 PM

i feel bad 4 da peepz hoo do have autisum it iz rele bad and hurtful on how people treat em. itz not there fualt 4 havin it.

~pinksparkle~ on 8/23/2008 7:27:33 PM

my sis has autism. she is really high functioning but there is no real name of what she has. she goes to a special sckol tho.. i luv her! =]

heyyyyyyy on 8/24/2008 2:54:31 PM

My dad's friends' son (that's a mouthful!) has a disorder that is like autism. He doesn't listen very well and cries easily, and always speaks his mind no matter if he really should say it or not. But he is very sweet!

ShopperSoccerGurl on 8/24/2008 4:25:31 PM

my best friends sister has that. she is so sweet tho!!

sparky4me on 8/24/2008 7:53:57 PM

I help kids with autism and there some of the sweetest people you'll ever meet.

chocolate hop on 8/24/2008 9:08:06 PM

I work in the community with one young lady who was diagnosed with Autism many years ago along with other developmental delays. She is an amazing young 20 year old girl. She is so intelligent, you wouldn't think she has Autism by having a first glance at her. Thank you for posting this article.

*SunnyDays* on 8/25/2008 11:44:59 PM

i personally have autisim and although it does make simple things difficult because of like sensory problems and stuff i've learned to work with it instead of against it and that helps but the more others know about it the easier it is for the people like me who have it to function well in society so thanks.

shelbsy on 8/26/2008 4:07:37 PM

My little brother has autism. It's hard sometimes having a brother with autism, but he's still a sweetie! Thank you GL for posting this! It means a lot for people with autism, people who know somebody with autism, or people who don't even know what autism is.

laugh4life on 8/26/2008 11:23:48 PM

You go hannahmazinggxo! I HATE when people make fun of special needs kids!!!!

laugh4life on 8/26/2008 11:42:56 PM

there is a prob with the way these kids are being diagnosed we have pediatricians diagnosing them and i read some where that 5-10% of all the new diagnosis are different things other than autism. this is not supposed to be mean at all i've got friends with autism and i wish i had more cause they r kind and have sweet hearts and they appreciate it when u don't look at them like they are crazy. they r people too.

musicluv44 on 8/27/2008 10:26:14 AM

MOD MOD MOD MOD MOD MOD MOD MOD ~Sorry it's long~ I have a brother with autism and I personally hate it. I mean I know it is the disorder and everything and he can't help it, but lately I have just started screaming at him for everything he does becuase it just makes me so agrivated!!!! I hate it! He goes online and meets this stupid girl he dosen't know squat about and now all of a sudden wants to go to Cananda to meet the girl of his dreams!! And I'm a very strong believer of meeting people the old fashoined way. And he shares ALL of his personal info. online which makes me very uncomfortable and UNSAFE espcially at night I get really scared, especially when he starts talking about me online. I have tried to tell him to stop and that its not healthy and he just won't listen! We break out yelling at each other! I yell at my mom becuase I want a normak brother and I just can't get over it!! I cry about it every night. Once he said that the spirit of some anime character that hes obsessed with came to visit him! That just got me really upset becuase lots of people would veiw that as crazy!!!!! Anyway i'm sorry its sooo long but I had to get that out becuase I am becoming very depressed and I think most of it is becuase of him. What can I do to make it better?????

I think you need to talk to your mom about his behavior. If she doesn't understand, reach out to a trusted adult or a school guidance counselor. I agree with you. Your brother's behavior sounds dangerous and he needs someone to teach him other than you. Laura

singingluvr on 8/28/2008 10:32:32 PM

My friend's brother has it.

Tess Nicole on 8/30/2008 10:58:54 AM

my friend's lil bro is autistic! i will check this out more later! thanks!

lucky charms on 8/31/2008 3:03:26 PM

Singingluvr- I want to start with saying that I go to a daycare for Special Needs (I'm in a wheelchsir) kids so I sort of know what your going through, I'm just not there and with them 24/7. But, there are some Autistic kids there and their behavior and get kind of crazy but there really isn't much that you can do to change it. You should still tell your mom but don't expect them to do a whole lot. But, I totally agree, that is getting out of hand. At my daycare I used to get so mad because there was this boy was OBSSESED with books and I read quite a bit and he would always take my book from me! At my daycare there are a lot of different things that the kids have. But, whatever happens, you have to know that your brother can't help his behavior. Just don't get depressed over this because there might not be anything that they can do about it. GOOD LUCK!

girscouts2664 on 8/31/2008 5:44:15 PM

my lil sister has special needs (a chromosomal disorder). it is really hard to have ppl over or even go out in public bcuz they don't understand her and they stare at her when she is loud or crying. and they probably think that she is a total nutcase. which totally reflects badly on me!

OMG!! singingluvr! i feel the same way about my sis she is so annoying my parents excuse for EVERY thing she does is that "she can't help it she has special needs. its not HER fault she has it" even ppl w/ special needs should be treated the same way as the rest of us. i just want to scream "ITS NOT MY FAULT I'M NORMAL!!!" ugh.

rox_my_sox on 9/1/2008 12:12:19 PM

m cousin has a disease has downs syndrome and many people dont know what it is so i have started a downs syndrom awarness program and i am just going to share some information with you about it
downs syndrome (also called trisomy 21) is a condition that affects every 1 in 800 babies.it is a disease that causes delays in mental and physical growth. most people who are affected by downs sydrome dont live to be older than 25. the oldest person that has lived with downs syndrome was 36. those are just some of the facts about downs syndrome.

hello12345 on 9/2/2008 7:05:17 PM

I have an older sister with severe cerebral palyse and somtimes it can be hard casue our family can be restricted to some of the stuff we can do because a ton of places aren't wheelchair accesable. There r also some good things that come out of my sisters disability casue it has taught me not to discriminate peopel and that all people have feelings so u should treat them with respect. beacsue of my sister i also get to do so much fun stuff like she has a runner for the boston marathon through childrens hospital so i get to interact with other kids that have siblings with disabilties and that can be so much fun lots of peopel r alwasy like o im so sorry but im not sorry cause i would nebver wish my sister to be any different

fieldhockeyluvr33 on 9/3/2008 4:43:57 PM

I used to be autistic. Now I'm 98% normal. The only thing that is abnormal about me is that I walk on my toes. But it has a bright side. When my friends and I started wearing heels, I got used to them the quickest!

horseyluv on 9/4/2008 5:13:03 PM

i have a older bro with ashburgers and a little bro who waz deaf and he is atustic its sad he is so cute tho peole who don't like me love him its funny i have adhd it make me hve troble getting to sleep or i am over exited

-Glitter

2glitter12 on 9/6/2008 3:05:44 PM

My cousin is autistic.He can't talk, but he has sort of a sign language, like if he wants chips he does something with his hands and tries to sound out the word. He is also very smart, and loves to rock back and forth on any rocking chair. Once he spelt a word from a movie he didn't even know! But at times it's hard on my aunt and uncle because he pinches and bites when he doesn't get what he wants. But really it's amazing how smart he can be!

smiley9510 on 9/6/2008 4:01:09 PM

I'm really glad that you guys posted this story on here because I think that kidsare scared to talk about disabilities because they are afraid to ask people about them. I'm in a wheelchair and I think its great when my friends ask me about my disability and different things that I go through. I just want to say thanks for posting this!

girscouts2664 on 9/6/2008 5:17:50 PM

MOD~ ok so my friend likes this guy and he sez he likes her 2. she really wants 2 talk 2 him but shes 2 shy. what advice can i give her? plz i really wanna help her! ~live*laugh*love and totally have fun!!

Hey Girl, just tell her to be confident, and if she knows that this guy is prob into her too then she'll prob feel a little better talking to him and self confidence will be boosted. *Cara T*

live*laugh*love and totally have fun!! on 9/7/2008 2:28:49 PM

MOD!!
My best friends little sister has a really bad brain disease, and she could be put in a wheel chair, I've gotten reallly close to her, I'm like her older sister, And i'm reallly stressed out about the brain disease..Is there anyway I can let my bff know i'll always be there for her if anything happens,without her sister hearing(she'll get scared if she knows how bad it is)?

Hey girl! That is awesome that you are becoming a sister figure to your BFF's sis. I would just pull your friend aside without her sister realizing. Tell her exactly how you feel. You are a true friend! xo, Sara

kittykatcrazy on 9/11/2008 7:54:20 AM

sorry long comment!
Thanks for putting the link on there! many people need to know about this disorder and to know that the people who are autistic are just like you and me. they didn't want to be this way.
My sister has severe autism and she can't communicate. she only knows 10 words verbally and she is 11. she can't write or read. I feel so bad for my brother who is her twin and he is normal.
Just saying.... if you see a family or person struggling with a person with autism don't stare and give rude looks, ask if there is anything you can do to help. The person who is handling a kid having a meltdown in the middle of target isn't a bad person and they are doing the best they can. just saying i've been thru too many to count moments like that.
I know that i can't change the way she is but i can make her life the best it can be.

pinksocca95 on 9/11/2008 5:31:43 PM

Wowza! Now that I think about autistic kids there are incredibly nice and shy at the same time. I recall being at vacation bible school camp the summer before kindergarten and I saw this special needs kid. I knew he was special needs, because he was wearing a diaper. However, back in preschool, I didn't understand special needs and I saw the diaper and I told everyone and then they all started laughing. I feel guilty about that now, but back then I didn't understand. I think that not everybody understands special needs, so some people have a difficult time giving others a chance.

Cookie! on 9/12/2008 12:37:57 AM

MOD MOD MOD MOD
my parents are recently divorced and my dad got a new apartment. i have multiple problems i was hoping u could answer. 1 my parents keep pressuring me with their probs like stay here an extra night or i need to work after hours so if u can go to ur dads thursday instead of wednesday thanks. they never ask m opinion BEFORE guilt tripping me
2i have major issues with my dad and he always just brushes it off when i want to talk but when i dont he brings it up
3 i am supposed to move with my mom in two weeks but she waited til the last sec to find a place to live (we still dont know) and when i tell her we need to pack she says we will do it eventually. this is my last weekend before moving that she has custody of me
HELP PLEASE

Divorces are tough. A lot of times there isn't anything you can do except be flexible and patient. Laura

shellyrae on 9/12/2008 7:32:54 PM

MOD MOD MOD
why isnt my comment showing up

shellyrae on 9/12/2008 8:13:33 PM

Hey yall tanx Alott 4 putting a site 4 n4o bout autism!! i have a little bro wit autism and sometimes i get confuzed, but it's actually really intresting once u figure evrtin out!

sidewinder32 on 9/12/2008 8:27:44 PM

there is this kid at my school who has autisim. He is really tall and bigger (in weight)than most teachers.He eats double of what everyone else eats.and kids make fun of him. I think its really sad that kid make fun of people because of their disabilitiesthanks for readn
I LOVE FEZ!!!!!

i love fez on 9/13/2008 11:04:23 AM

I don't have autism but I have Fetal alcolol syndrom

Troyfan1 on 9/13/2008 2:26:21 PM

My younger brother has Asperger which is kind of like autism. Basically, he has a very mild form of autism. He is so sweet though! He has friends who understand and help him, and he also does this program where other autistic kids and their parents get together and they read to dogs to help thier social skills. They had several activities over the summer where I went with them, and they get along so well. It is so sweet to see everyone having fun together.

redraspberry on 9/13/2008 6:06:51 PM

mod,
every since my uncle died 2 years ago,everything in my family is getting worse. my dad and his dad are always in fights on the phone because he is an alchoholic everynight he smokes and drinks. i havent seen him in 3 years but i just feel so guilty like i did it. i hate to see my dad like this and my dads mom is crying every time my dad calls her. i hate to see my whole family like this. and now my moms uncle has cancer and i dont know how my mom feels

Hey babes, just hang in there. Your parents problems are out of your control. They are adults and they will sort it out, dont think that its your fault or that you can change whats happening. Thats burden is far too big for you to carry. xoxo JANA

jonasbros2006 on 9/13/2008 11:15:31 PM

MOD, MOD! I don't know what to do! My cusin quit her job won't talk to her dad, wouldn't go to college(she was at it once but left) I want to help her but i feel angry inside. She went to rehab once but im not sure if it worked. Her mom and dad were divorced when she was little. She also has a 13 year old sister thats sad too about it. My Grandma and mom is too, and its hard seeing my grandma sad because she's sooo kind.

Hey babes, it sounds like you have a lot going on in your life. Just do your best to be there for everyone . You cant control their lives but being a presence in their life will make them happy. xo JANA

jori74636 on 9/14/2008 10:40:33 PM

girl life people, thank-you so much for posting htis comment, and i attend CMS, and i am an anchor i help children with autism and i am very grateful for this coment than-you.

pinkdevil1o1 on 9/16/2008 6:49:22 PM

My mom teaches an autistic preschool class. I went once with her to work, and wow, I do not know how she does it day after day.

just_keep_swimming on 10/16/2008 5:58:05 PM

I'm so glad you guys posted this because I think that everyone should know more instead of just staring.

girscouts2664 on 10/18/2008 12:14:42 PM

there's a girl in my grade who has down syndrome, but she's really sweet and hugs everybody.

monkeygirl610 on 10/19/2008 2:09:49 PM

Thanks so much for letting girls know more about this disease. I had no idea that it was so common! I hope that they can find a cure and bless everyone with autism out there!

Check out my profile!

talk2thefro on 10/20/2008 8:00:48 PM

My 7 year old bro has autism and he is so sweet. It isn't fair what he has 2 go through but I try 2 help him as best as I can. It's so sad though...

Shorty13 on 10/22/2008 11:41:55 PM

My BFFs friend's brother has autism. He's going to start therapy to try to get rid of it soon! YAY! I don't know details, but I think he'll go into an oxygen tank or something. My friend was SO SO SO SO SO SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JBrox! on 10/26/2008 3:39:00 PM

I cant thank you enough GL autism runs in my family and people are kind of scared of my reletives with autism and i think it might just be because they dont know what it is or how the people with autism act so thanks for informing people of this disorder

pretend_ninja on 10/30/2008 1:01:54 PM

MOD and Girlies with moms as autistic kids teachers
i really am concidering being a teacher for autistic kids when i grow up. i mean not like a little kid dream where i say: I want to be a vet, princess, doctor, and president. I mean im really really concidering it. but everyone tells me i dont want that job because its so hard and so stressful. do you think its a bad job?

PrettyNPink on 11/2/2008 3:18:27 PM

PrettyNPink: thats so cool that you want to help kids with disabilities. its something i've been considering. i know what it's like to have an autistic brother. somedays i honestly want to scream at him, (but i dont of course). just living with him is stressful, but it really depends on what kind of person you are. you need to find creative ways to communicate if there is one and stay calm when youre irritated.

Also, people are afraid of my brother! one of my friends parents wont let her come over my house because of him and my grandma wont let him in her house because its so much trouble!

cheerldr~~* on 11/5/2008 10:37:25 PM

Thanx 4 posting this! My bro has autism and is one of the sweetest people i know! I'm glad that GL is educating people about autism! THANX!

lamb_lover95 on 11/9/2008 4:07:41 PM

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Andrea T.

is modding

Ashley R.

is modding

Family Issues

What Is Autism?

73 READER COMMENTS

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