Celebrate World Autism Month with us! 🎈✨

(Edit by CM: Picture of a Child)

We’re working to create a kinder, more inclusive world for people with autism, and we invite you to join us @ autismspeaks(dot)com

Oh @channie8 what a loving topic !! And I was missing it. Luckily I found it in time.

I wish you all a happy World Autism Month.

They have all my support and my love, they are true geniuses, I see it here in my dear @Spinnifix , in @BlueberryCupcake , in @Tasty_Cake , and there are other people who are close to them, like our dear @Freddy_ .

A big hug for all of them.

@channie8

Hi,

I don't have any great pics or quotes. Just two very different real stories to share... When I was training to be a teacher, a fellow student made it all the way to third year before they told him they couldn't give him a teacher's cert because he turned out to have Asperger's (part of the Autism spectrum). He took it bravely and even came back to cheer us on at graduation. Broke our hearts.

My second story was a student I taught in high school who also had Asperger's but whose passion was... ACTING! Which of course, required him to learn how to emote and portray complex emotions. He was amazing in plays.

Autism is, to me, all at once heart-breaking and amazing.

Thank you for letting me join

I'd like to give a shout out to my sister, who is a Special Ed teacher and has been teaching life skills to kids on the spectrum for more then twenty years now. Mostly Autistic children, but, others on the spectrum also! She is a real hero to these kids, many of them grown now and living fulfilling lives of their own, thanks to her and teachers like her! They, literally, give their blood, sweat & tears to their jobs on a daily basis and don't get much in return, monetarily, that is! The bigger payoff, for my sister anyway, is the difference she gets to make in someone's life. She has (ex) students in their 20's and 30's who she still keeps in touch with, she has a precious few whom she had/has very special relationships with and they get together on holidays, birthdays and basically keep in touch regularly, 2 decades later, maybe more! Is it obvious how proud of her I am? LOL, can't help it, she's a terrific teacher and wonderful human, in general.

And, I'd also like to mention my step daughter, Addie, who has Asperger's Syndrome. From the shy, awkward young girl I met almost 15 years ago to the beautiful, independent woman she has become today, I couldn't be more proud of her! She graduated college with a Bachelor's Degree, lives on her own, but, with her boyfriend in New Jersey, has a great job and is so happy & content with her life, it makes me want to cry tears of joy! When she first wanted to leave home and go live in Jersey away from us all, her Dad, my BF at the time, was extremely upset and worried. He told her "I won't pay for you anymore and I'm taking your car away!" She just said "OK!" LOL!!! She left anyway, got herself a good paying, steady job and bought her own darn car 🤩 All I remember thinking was "Go, Addie, Go!!!" I was so impressed with her, how far she'd come and how brave she was at 22yo. She took her life by her OWN reins and went out and lived it! She did HER life the way SHE wanted to! I guess because she is my (step) daughter, I could see it was the best thing for her. All her Dad could see, at the time, was doom and gloom. He was frightened for his first born little girl. (Like my Dad always says "No matter how old you get, you'll always be my child!") That becomes so painfully clear when you have kids of your own 💘. Anyway, now everyone can see she knew what was best for her and she is thriving!!! 😎

@channie8 - Ha-ha, OK, you said a "few" words, right??? Sorry, couldn't help it, so proud of both of these warrior women I'm lucky to have in my life!