Welcome! We are so glad that you have stopped by to learn about autism. Maybe your brother or sister has autism, or maybe someone else in your family...or even maybe you have a friend with autism. Either way, it's really cool that you want to learn more about this special person in your life. Hopefully this page will answer some of your questions.

What is autism?
Autism is a developmental disability. Children with autism have a problem with part of their brain. That means, kids with autism develop differently than most other kids.

Children with autism may also have a different way of seeing, hearing, or feeling things. Like when you have gloves on in the winter and you try to pick up a pencil. It may be a little harder to pick up, and it feels different than if you didn't have the gloves on.

Children with autism may have difficulty communicating. Some children with autism can not speak, so they may learn to use computers or a board with pictures on it to tell people what they want or how they feel. Some children with autism use sign language.

Having autism is like living in a foreign country where you do not know the language or like trying to learn the rules of a very difficult game.

People are born with autism and will have it all of their lives. But, they can learn and grow up to have jobs just like you.

What are people with autism like?
Some children with autism may have trouble talking. There are some people with autism who don't speak at all, others who speak sometimes, and some who talk just like you.

You may hear a child with autism repeat a word or phrase that someone else said to them. They often don't ask for what they want or need...or talk about their feelings.

Children with autism may act a little different from other children. They may spend time alone or seem like they aren't paying attention. They may act as if they can't see or hear other people. Some may rock their bodies back and forth or flick their fingers or do other things which seem different.

It's not easy for children with autism to make friends, because they may act differently. But, everybody is different! That's what makes being friends with other children more fun. You can learn a lot from each other.

Can autism be cured?
Nobody knows what causes it, so we can't make it go away. The children who have autism can be helped to grow up like other children. They may not go to college (some people with autism do) or buy their own house, but they can get a job and learn to make friends.

They have feelings and they care for others. People with autism can grow up to be computer operators, artists, work at the bank or the shopping mall.

How many people have autism?
In the United States, about one and a half million (that is 1.5 million) people have autism. But that is just in America. There are people with autism all over the world. One in every 166 people have autism. Chances are you have some with autism living in your development or on the same street.

More boys than girls have autism. They can be rich, or poor, or black or white, or brown, or red. They can live in a city, or in the country.

Books on Autism for Children:
Ian's Walk by: Laurie Lears
Andy and his Yellow Frisbee by: Mary Thompson
Trevor Trevor by: Diane Twachtman-Cullen
My Friend with Autism by: Beverly Bishop

The Autism Awareness Ribbon Story:

The autism awareness ribbon is made up of puzzle pieces to show how puzzling and mysterious autism can be. The different colors and shapes show how all people with autism are different.

The brightness of the colors shows that there is a lot of hope for a bright future for those living with autism. People with autism and their families can have happy lives when people like you learn more about autism and accept them as friends.

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