diane Hunter's blog

(Post from my blog on After Autism)

A young woman recently entered our family's life to help care for my son, Ian.   Ian is nine, pre-verbal and recovering from autism. She brings great openness and curiosity to the job every day and I'm so grateful she has joined our family system. Today she brought me a great gift; the gift of awareness and connection.

A year ago I attended a workshop with horses that taught me the power of non-verbal communication, which transformed my life and my relationship with my son, Ian. He's eight, non-verbal and was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. I share my story to provide hope and possibility that you can connect with your child on a deeper level beyond words.

The diagnosis of autism devastates more families every day. A diagnosis doesn't just affect a child and his immediate family. It touches extended family, friendships, social gatherings, schools and communities as well.

This is a public health issue of the highest priority. We need to join together and speak for our children.

Children with autism are here to teach us to clean up the mess we've made of our environment and to stop putting toxic chemicals into our bodies.

I wanted to share the post from my blog at www.afterautism.com on Friday which I wrote as my way to create awareness for our children and our families. Please feel free to forward to anyone you think would find it useful. Together, our voice will be heard. Thank you AutismOne for bringing parents together in this wonderful forum and providing an amazing place for us to support, share and learn from each other.

Autism affects 1 in 110 children, 1 in 70 boys

I just joined this community yesterday and read Jon's post this morning. I'm compelled to share it with you. As a mother of a non-verbal child with autism, Jon's story deeply touched my soul. He tells the story of his love for his mother and how he's overcome obstacles throughout his life with honesty, clarity and love. His story inspires me to always, ALWAYS believe.

To view his post, go to: http://www.copyblogger.com/fight-for-your-ideas/