Of Ice and Men

Autism Fact:    People from all nationalities and cultural, religious and social backgrounds can be autistic, although it appears to affect more men than women. I figured I’d be doing a good thing by participating in RJ Scott 's Autism blog hop and raising awareness about autism and living with the disability. But then I realized I didn’t know much about autism at all; I’ve never personally encountered someone who I knew was autistic or even on the spectrum. So how could I help raise awareness when I myself was barely aware of the stats and facts about autism? Realizing my ignorance, I reached out to a friend of mine who has a Masters in special education and has worked hands-on with autistic children—and she had tons to say about the developmental disability and how we approach it. Autistic individuals often are judged and even pitied. Adults blame meltdowns and tantrums on bad parenting. They are teased by their peers and ridiculed. Strangers stare at them. D...