World Autism Awareness Day 2013

World Autism Awareness Day,the 6th annual awareness day to date... April 2nd 2013.

Well its that time of year again to all come together in support of spreading awareness for autism,Known as World Autism Awareness Day.

Now those that know me well know that this is very close to my heart as my son Ethan who be 6 come july is autistic.Also my youngest son Aaron has just had a MDA meeting due to him showing alot of tell tale signs such as limited speech,developmental delays...he will be 2 next month but still cant sit unaided foe extended lengths of time,he also does alot of rocking and biting.Also just found out he has lax ligaments like his brother.

So what is Autism?

Autism is a lifelong developmental disabilty that effect how a person communicates with,and relates to other people.It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.

It is a spectrum condition which basically means that while all people with autism share certain difficulties,their condition will affect them all in differant ways.some people with autism are able to live relatively independant lives but others may have accompanying learning disabilities and need a lifetime of support.

Some signs of Autism(though not all autistic child experiance all of these and there are lots of signs these are just a few):

No or limited eye contact

Dont smile when smiled at

Dont respond to own name being called

Dont point,wave goodbye or use other gestures to communicate.

Dont initiate or respond to cuddling

Dont reach out to be picked up

No real signs of empathy(or very sensitive to others)

Dont tend to ask for help.

Appears disinterested

Dont play pretend games

Prefers not to be touched,held or cuddled.

Dont share interests or achievements with others(Ethan will with me but only with prompting)

Parrot talks

Takes things too literally

Speaks with a abnormal tone of voice

Repeats words over and over

Responds to a question by repeating it rather than answering it.

Children with autism are often restricted,inflexible,and even bsessive in their behaviours,activities and interests.

COMMON SELF-STIMULATORY BEHAVIOURS:

Hand-flapping

Rocking

Spinning

Head banging

Staring at lights

Moving fingers in front of eyes

Scratching

Lining up toys

Wheel spinning

And many others.

As you can see this is a very complex disabilty and has only in the last few years started becoming recognised so plz share my post in order to help spread awareness not just for my little boys but for all children with Autism around the world,lets work together to light it up blue!

Here is my blog post going into a little more detail about my son Ethan please feel free to take a read....i wil leave you will a few of my favorite pictures of my 2 gorgeous boys starting with 

Ethan:

And now Aaron