MAIL CALL AND CORRECTIONS

Can Early Warnings Help Treat Autism?

Parents of children with autism and experts in the field responded en masse to our Feb. 28 story. One mother wrote poignantly of the "autistic fog" enveloping her son, while another related how her child "is my greatest joy as well as my most devastating heartbreak." Many pointed to possible chemical, environmental and genetic factors, and cited a variety of therapies that have helped them. One man offered hope: "The extent to which medicine and education can work together will determine the best course." The mother of a 55-year-old from "the first generation of autistic children" hailed her son for earning a college degree, holding down a computer-programming job and recently moving into his own apartment. "He has made this enormous progress in the decades when there were no facilities to help him." A girl with Asperger's asked for understanding: "I am autistic. I don't want a cure. I want people to accept that I'm different, not diseased."

As the mother of a precious 6-year-old boy with autism, I would like to say thank you a thousand times over for the coverage you have given over the years to this devastating disorder, including your recent cover story ("Babies and Autism," Feb. 28). As parents of an autistic child (and three other "normal" children), we sometimes get bogged down in the day-to-day of school, therapy, etc., and it is so nice to know that we are getting help raising awareness about autism. The more people know, the more people can help find a new treatment or cure, or even just understand my son's condition when they pass him on the street. Keep up the great work and thank you again.
Mistie Huff
Iowa Park, Texas

I never knew how sad I could possibly feel or how strong I could become until my two young sons were diagnosed with autism. It is hard to explain how it feels when your only two children slip away into a mysterious world where language and development completely regress. The anguish of looking your baby son in the eye when he doesn't see you is so profound that tears cannot take away the pain. The screaming silence of autism sometimes echoes so loudly in my house that it deafens me. Other times the incredible tantrums seem to shatter my patience and break my heart. How can anyone understand how it feels when your son doesn't call you "mama" anymore and doesn't respond to his own name? Sadly, I am not alone. I never thought autism would affect my family. Will yours be next? Let's support funding for autism research and cure this epidemic.
Jeanine Ryan-Frandsen
Phoenix, Ariz.