deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

April is Autism Awareness Month

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 36 children and 1 in 45 adults in the United States today.

Autism looks different for everyone, and each person with autism has a distinct set of strengths and challenges. Some autistic people can speak, while others are nonverbal or minimally verbal and communicate in other ways. Some have intellectual disabilities, while some do not. Some require significant support in their daily lives, while others need less support and, in some cases, live entirely independently.

There are many causes of autism.  Research suggests that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) develops from a combination of:

• Genetic influences and
• Environmental influences, including social determinants

A fascinating portrayal of autism is found in the French-Belgian TV drama known in the US as ‘Astrid’ (In France as ‘Astrid et Raphaelle) [Astrid in the US can be found on PBS]. Sara Mortensen plays an autistic woman working with the police.

Another delightful TV drama from Korea is ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ found on Netflix. South Korean Actress Park Eun-Bing plays a from childhood autistic savant who becomes a lawyer.

Trent was born in 1997 and diagnosed with classic Autism at the age of two. He began drawing as soon as he could hold a pen. For years there were animals and text drawn on all his family’s walls, three feet off the floor. Trent loves to read (animal books), listen to music (just about anything!), and watch TV (Phineas and Ferb & almost everything Disney – often in a foreign language). Having very limited verbal communication, Trent deals with much frustration, but finds an escape through drawing. Because Trent does not want to part with any of his original drawings, a limited number of prints have been made of some of his most interesting drawings.

Autism – like Trent says, ‘It is just another operating system.’