AUTISM COMMUNITY…WELCOME

By: Dana Weber
Autism. Autistic. ASD, even the now not-sure-if-we-are-still-calling-it-Aspergers…or Aspies and PDD-NOS. Your connection and my connection to this topic may be very similar or very different but our love, concern and investment are the same.  We are parents or caregivers of children with special needs.  I will share with you my experiences, challenges and victories with my son with autism (that’s the phrasing I use). I will also invite you into my family’s sometimes funny, often bumpy but also victorious moments of life on the spectrum. I am a librarian and researcher by trade so get ready for a substantial dose of news, ABA, current autism research and politics as well as my personal ideas, opinions and perspective. This place, this “Planet ASD”, as it is sometimes called, however you’ve arrived… is a community that is often separated by significant differences.  Differences in treatments, social and educational supports, research priorities, even differences in the terms we use or whether we think of autism as mental health issue, a behavioral one, a neurological difference, or a medical one.  These things are often hotly debated but like a family forced together during the holidays we all have a place at the table. You may be new to the family or a relative who is just arriving to the party… You may be a fiery advocate, as self, family, or friend.  Argue as we may, one thing I believe- we all belong here, we all have a voice. Welcome.