WALK NOW FOR AUTISM

As many of you already know, I have finished my first year teaching. I feel very privileged to have been placed as a Special Ed teacher, teaching students with autism. Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in our nation. This neurological condition is now affecting, one out of every 150 children. In the past year i have learned a lot about what it means to have autism and the difficulties my students face to live in a society that is not aware of their challenges. Not only am I their teacher, I am also their voice in society which is why I have chosen to participate in this years 'Walk for Autism' on September, 20th, 2008. The objective of the walk is to raise money to go towards increasing awareness, funding research, treatments for autism, and to advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. I would be very grateful if you could support me in this endeavour by sponsoring me and forwarding this to others who may be interested. If you care to join me on this walk, please let me know.

Friendly URL: http://www.walknowforautism.org/philadelphia/personal/jab728My Team: Joyful WalkersMy Supporter ID:205974604

Thank you,

Jackie Banks

What is autism?
Autism is a neurobiological disorder. Their brains function differently then ours. They process information differently, affecting three main areas: communication, social understanding and sensory processing. All autistic children have issues in these three areas but at different levels and at different degrees. Each child has his or her own "constellation" of behaviors. People with autism have problems understanding words and using their words. Imagine wanting something and not being able to sound out the right words to request for that item. You may have seen some of the students have tantrums and many times these tantrums are due to these children being frustrated as they cannot communicate their needs/wants. These tantrums can also be caused by something around them that is painful to them such as certain sights, touches, sounds, smells, noises. The way a student processes these sensory inputs is different than how other people process the very same inputs. Sensory processing is the way we all process and organize our sensations. (Ask students what their senses are and why they use them.) We use our senses to learn, to function and survive in our environment. Children with autism do not have the same ability to filter and organize all the senses around them. All the input from the environment come in at once, with very little being dropped from the brain's first filtering system; this is sensory overload. Some say it is like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. Some students with autism have a difficult time relating and playing with others. They have a difficult time interacting with others, which is why you may see them playing alone or not acknowledging you when you are around them. It is very important to understand from where they are coming. If you can see and feel the way they feel, can empathize, a lot of their behaviors will start making sense.

Facts about Autism
Did you know… 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism
1 in 94 boys is on the autism spectrum
67 children are diagnosed per day
A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes
More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined
Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
Autism costs the nation over $35 billion per year, a figure expected to significantly increase in the next decade
Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
There is no medical detection or cure for autism

http://www.autismspeaks.org/whatisit/facts.php