Autism Awareness Give-away Hop

 Hi Followers. I'm participating in another blog hop for Autism Awareness hosted by: Lindsay @ Just Another Book Addict: http://justanotherbookaddict.blogspot.com/ 

Heather @ Fire and Ice Photo: http://fireandicephoto.blogspot.com/ 

Pixie @ Page Turners: http://www.pageturnersblog.com/ 

Kathy @ I Am A Reader, Not A Writer: http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/ . 

April is Autism Awareness month.

May of 2008, we found out our 2 year old son had an Autism Spectrum disorder called PDD-NOS. My world crumbled. The A word is up there with the C word and the last thing a parent ever wants to hear. But, we got help early and never quit advocating for him.

I'm happy to say, three years later, our little buddy is going to be entering Kindergarten in the fall with typical kids. It's been a rough road with 40 hour week in-home therapy, a special diet and just the fact he works so much harder than most kids his age to train his brain to learn. I'm so very proud of him and his accomplishments.

Here's some warning signs you can NOT ignore:

• No or little speech by two years of age.
• Little to no eye contact.
• Doesn't respond by looking when people say their name.
• Doesn't play with toys appropriately (lines things up, collects odd items).
• Doesn't share enjoyment (points, brings the item to you, gets excited and wants to show you what's so exciting)
• Odd stimulatory behavior (tip-toe walking, flapping, strange obsessions with things like watching doors close, water pouring, fans blowing, etc.)

Getting treatment early is key (before age 3). Don't wait! Most school districts can point you in the direction of early intervention services and there's federal funding for in-home therapy called ABA - Applied Behavior Analysis.

Here's some great sites for information:

http://www.tacanow.org/

http://www.generationrescue.org/

And if you have questions about the safety of vaccines and alternatives:

http://drtenpenny.com/

My giveaway is puzzle piece earrings:

My favorite aunt surprised me with a pair and I bawled like a baby. They'd make a great gift to anyone who loves someone with Autism.

One good thing about autism coming into our lives is that I had to find another avenue to be creative and I turned to writing. It became the lemon aid out of the lemons and it makes my heart sing when my son says "That's your book Mommy?" cause he didn't say "Mommy" until he was 3-1/2.

Please tell me how autism has changed your life (or someone you know) and leave your email in my comments to enter the drawing (US only please). I just ask you follow my blog.

Hugs, Brenda

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