I had a rough pregnancy with my son, Evan, but he was a fighter from the very start. After my c-section, the Dr. Informed my husband and me that because of my previous pregnancy, my uterus was scarred and tilted and that I was honestly lucky to have had carried Evan full term. Evan was always sick, suffering from ear infections at least once a month from the time he was a small infant all the way until we switched pediatricians and had ear tubes put in instead of just giving him antibiotics. He was 18 months by then and he hadn't started to speak. A friend told me about a program that would allow a speech therapist come to our house and help him speak. When he turned 3, we enrolled him in public school where they encouraged us to get him tested for autism. We decided to wait in hopes that he just needed to catch up with his speech since he didn't express the usual autism signs other that the lack of speaking and the breakdowns. We decided to get him tested a year and a half ago and he was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, a high functioning form of autism. I can honestly say it broke our hearts and I'm ashamed to admit that I took it very hard. After a long talk with a very close friend, I realized that no matter what his diagnosis is, he was always going to be my Evan. He is not just a child with autism but a boy who is wacky, goofy, loving and musically inclined who loves his parents and adores his big sister. We have had to put up with some judgmental people throughout the years that have made very hurtful remarks towards him but I've had to realize that they are the ones with the problem, not Evan. People should educate themselves and learn that children with autism are not "demon children" but kids that need our support, love and patience. I know that for my son, the sky is the limit. He is my superhero.

My boys CJ & Angel are both diagnosed within the spectrum. They each have their own way of expressing their love for our family. CJ is 16 yrs old & before he could speak he would lean over & put his eyelashes next to mine & flutter them with mine. He then called them his butterfly kisses! Soon our family began to share his butterfly kisses as a sign if affection towards one another. Angel is 13 yrs old & although he is able to speak he prefers not to when it comes to showing affection. He does not show affection towards others often, but when he does he prefers to hug very lightly & not too tight. In our home, we are shown love with butterfly kisses & angel hugs that are so special because we don't get them often. Many families that are blessed with children with Autism don't always hear "I love you, mom & dad", or they aren't able to hug their children as we would all want to, therefore it is a celebrated event when our children show us love & affection!!!

For years when I wanted to talk to my grandson Brock I would have to go to him put my hands on either side of his face to get his attention and then proceed.

Then the amazing happened. I walked into the house and said Hi Brock he ran up the stairs and hugged me and said Hi Grandma. My heart truly skipped a beat and my eyes teared up. I never thought this would happen as it had with my other four grandchildren. It was one of the happiest days of my life.

Every time I see him he amazes me in some way but this was the best ever.

Callum has asperger's, however he was also born with bilateral club feet (both went the wrong way) and a congenital heart defect.

His aspergers started to show signs when he was 2/3 years old. Along the way Callum has dealt with 9 operations to get his feet going in the right direction along with surgery at 8 days old to correct his heart defect.

Callum is now 13 years old. He is in his second year of high school and is mainly mainstream, with added support sessions meaning he isn't taught french or german. However this is a kid who has taught himself to speak some chinese of the internet so not overly worried about that!

He is a helpful and polite young man who has had a rough ride at school with the bullies but we have fought back together, and he will survive!

He plays drums in a brass band (brilliantly), he loves his ballroom dancing and is very smart in his tail suit, and he is now discovering his musical talents singing with a choir and also working on the school musicals. He was brilliant recently in West Side Story and is now working on Oliver for performances later in the year.

He loves his darts and is fanatical about playing/watching and his maths is pretty good working out his scores and what he needs to get!

I've always known Callum has his own path in life -may not be the same as others but that doesn't matter.

His school grades are good. He may never be the top of the class but I know he tries hard and is always prepared to give it a go. I can't ask for much more than a kid who will try hard even though they don't always get it right.

Callum is at the milder end of the spectrum than some but he still faces his challenges, but he has the love and support of two very protective older sisters and the rest of the family too.

He is a handsome young man and I'm very proud of him

Hello my name is heather and here's is the story of mommy baby boy conner he is 7 years old he has gone through many years of testing from doctors and he had 4 eeg's and 3 mri's and many blood test in his life and when was 4 years of age i found out he has autism and add and adhd and on top everything he always seems happy and always laughing. my son conner has showed me love and kindness and joy in my heart . he might not speak words but smiles and eyes says all at time . mommy loves him with all her heart and soul . he is a gift from god and i'am so thankful.

Phoenix is my 6 yr old miracle son, took me 16 years to have him and let me tell you I never knew much about autism and no one in my family has it or was aware of it but he has truly opened my eyes to how he views the world around him. He is so smart, he has high functioning autism and some other issues as well but his special school has helped him so much. From the time he was 8 months old he would pull himself up on the entertainment system and change the DVD to one he wanted to watch. He had verbal apraxia (would not speak or babble) until he has 3 so when he said mommy for a first time I just broke down that my baby boy was able to get past any obsticle in his way. although he still gets frustrated a lot but he is insanely smart, loves to count, play on the play ground, loves the computer, his tablet, loves animals and just running in the fields. He is even a big help with chores and being a big brother to his sister who is a year and 7 days younger, they love to celebrate they're birthdays together but I imagine that will change as they get older. The big thing I am most proud of, well other than having a very special little guy is that when I went to The Home Depot to buy my "light it up blue" bulbs, I ended up giving an impromptu speech of autism, what is is, etc. etc. and what it all meant, I was quite happy to do it and felt very honored to have looked up and seen about 10 people (workers and shoppers) all listening with great intent and I told them you dont have to have someone in your family or even know someone to "light it up blue" and help people become aware! Thank you for the opportunity to share my baby boy's story!

hi i am teresa gowin and i have A grandson that has Autism at the age of 32 months he was diagonsed with this terrible disadility his name is christopher m gowin and now he is 14 he gos to vanderbilt for thearpy and is in A life skilled program it has been great for him he gos to richview middle school he loves to play video games loves cat he loves to take pictures he is A good boy vanderbilt has brought hope back in to our life chris is A blessing and our Angel from Above he is A Angel

My daughter Andrea is a remarkable young lady not because she is my daughter, but what she has been through in her 11 years of life. She is funny, smart, and courageous little girl. She has came from being non-verbal to a little girl who can carry on a conversation with her peers due to all the help from her therapists and hard work. She was also at a young age a "runner" where ever Andrea went she ran. When going anywhere with Andrea at a younger age it was very challenging because she had no sense of fear and she would try to run in streets, parking lots, and running through stores and now she is very aware of her surroundings and very detailed to where she is. Andrea gives her 110% at school. She is very eager to learn new things and is wanting to please her teachers and her peers with her knowledge. Andrea also is in dance! Even with her challenges the teachers and students accept her and urge her on to do her best! I'm very proud of Andrea and her accomplishments and can't wait to see what is in store for this wonderful little girl. She is simply amazing and I'm very honored to be her Mommy. I Love You, Andrea!

hi i just to let u know litte both me and my bother Paul is now 17 but he found out at age 2 that his life was never going to be the same he in now in high school but way that not all i have to said i found at 21 year old am now 24 live with it is not easy at all at the time i did not know what was in i lean more both it and i lean to find out that i did have it was still hard to make friends but i have 4 closes best friends yes am date but hard every day know that i have to deal with it my dad is take care of us both but will tell u some stuff that i do like because of being born with it.

stuff i like .

1, Ronald Regan .

2. F.S,U.

3. crabs

4. songs

being born with it some thing i never want to happen but how god made me and him if u do find out u have it be hard to hear it trust me on that part i still wish find out at a yearly age thank u for reading i hope it hleps

my bother Paul and I found out diffent ages he found out 2 year old I found 21 year old is really in life know u diffent then other u found u have be hard to hear it did know what it was now do !!!