Living with Autism (ASD)

Today, the odds are 1 in 36 that YOUR child will be afflicted with autism! More specifically, boys are four times more likely to be afflicted with autism than girls.

If lottery odds were 1 in 36, lines to buy tickets would be miles long since nearly everyone would believe themselves to be certain winners!

Yet our society continues gambling with the lives of their children.. believing those high odds surely won't apply to their kids. Or, idealistically, they believe that scientists, medical experts, and governments will finally discover and provide real answers, and real help.

However, modern leaders do not (or refuse to) recognize the threat posed to the future of humanity via autism. If you are planning a family.. be prepared for the 1 in 36 (and rapidly climbing) probability that your child will be the next autism statistic; and that you and your child will likely receive absolutely no assistance whatsoever.

I began this hub many years ago when I believed that concern about this issue would continue growing as the number of afflicted children continued to climb.

Even back then, the math was very simple and VERY terrifying! Since then, the mountain of information about autism has grown nearly as fast as the odds of autism affliction! Still, we have been provided no valid answers, and still, most so-called 'expert' opinions & advice come from those who are clueless about the reality of autism, and the heartbreak of actually raising and living with autistic children.

Today thousands upon thousands of parents and families of these children continue to be turned away in confusion, frustration, financial distress, and grief while trying to digest the gobbledygook offered by those so-called experts.

Few, if any experts experience the lives of these families. They do not suffer the daily.. NO, often hourly, and even moment-to-moment upheaval which is the reality of autism in a family. Though lives in these households vary just like any other, routine and consistency, (though desperately needed by autistic children), are usually non-existent.

Very fortunate and more affluent families may have resources to secure assistance for their children, but most families aren't that fortunate, and receive little if any assistance whatsoever. They are left to solely cope & deal with the physical, emotional, mental, financial, and educational strains caused by autism. Staggering numbers of these children and their families have slipped through societies' cracks of resignation and indolence.

Experts and non-experts alike agree that there are degrees, or levels of autism, varying from very mild to extreme severity. If not before, then by school age, autistic children are usually evaluated by yet another set of experts and are categorized according to their 'expert' opinions.

Most children whose autism reaches the highest levels of severity will rarely, if ever achieve the ability to care for themselves or receive educations. Those children and their families may, or may not receive some form of public assistance, as in all likelihood these children will eventually be declared 100% disabled.

Most mild cases, that is children diagnosed at lower levels of autism, are usually ignored by professionals, educational, and various government systems, but usually, somehow make their way through public school systems, and go on to live fair, if somewhat sub-standard adult lives.

However, due to the staggering numbers of autistic children today, most children categorized somewhere in the middle of the severity charts are falling between the cracks due to modern-day hypocrisy and an unsympathetic & unforgiving society & government.

We are told that stress can be debilitating both mentally and physically to even the healthiest people. For victims of autism though, coping with even the mildest forms of stress is a daily moment-to-moment uphill struggle. In fact, they are typically unable to cope with even minimal stress without extreme negative physical and emotional distress. Change of routine, basic disciplinary measures, simple teasing, concern about errors, clothing, lunch, recess, weather changes, anything, can trigger negative behavior ranging from mere sulking and crying to yelling, threatening, wetting or soiling their underwear, to actual physical violence enacted upon others or even themselves. Yet, when these outbursts occur, too many of these children (and/or their families) are actually held accountable for the result of actions they have absolutely no control over.

There are few special schools for autistic children in these levels, and most are shoved through various special-ed classes offered at public schools. Most schools and teachers are totally unprepared, unable, and untrained to deal with autism, and usually label those victims as troubled, unmanageable, and even violent. Many request or even demand that these children be drugged, (they call it sedation), in order to avoid classroom disruption.

With help and guidance, just like other children, those whose ASD levels are low may actually experience relatively normal lives, even into adulthood. A few may even excel in certain areas.

With a whole lot of luck, perhaps some help from something or someone higher than us, and real expertise from our so-called experts, some of the children who fall into those middle to upper levels of autism, may grow to adulthood with few mishaps.. Most, however, will not live normal lives, that is, not to the standards that you and I would consider normal ..and sadly, along the way, many will fall victim to the result of their own uncontrollable behavior patterns.

The future of our society is likely destined to reap irreparable scars due to our inability(?) / refusal(?) to demand attention to this devastating attack on humanity...