“Autistic people hear everything; the pens clicking, someones shoes scruffing on the floor, the voices,the lights actually hum, So how does it feel to be autistic when you are overstimulated? It feels like: 20 cologne smells… like hundred of kids running around you asking you questions in different languages, like you’re sitting in a chair that is missing one leg and trying to balance it while all that is going on, and lights flickering…too much..” Kris

Do you know somebody who has a child with autism? Heard of Asperger’s Syndrome? Information about the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) abounds and research continues. We are now hearing stories about what it is like to have autism from high function adults such as Kris. ASD, to me, is one of the really fascinating areas that have emerged over the last 20 years in childhood medicine.

We did not know how prevalent Autism and Asperger’s was until recently. Can you believe we used to think of people who have Asperger’s syndrome as troubled individuals, obviously having had inappropriate parenting? Of course Asperger’s is not the fault of parents. It never was.

Thankfully research teaches us more and more about Autism Spectrum Disorder each day. The Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics has just published an article that explores the connection between Autoimmune Disorders (AD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As a Pediatrician and a parent, this new interests me greatly. Click here to access the abstract of this article. I’d also love to hear your stories.

I wonder what the implications of this new research are for parents of babies and children with ASD? Could it one day be prevented? Let’s hope so, for all children and families in the future.