Asperger Help

SPOKANE - It's a sobering statistic: This year doctors will diagnose more than 25,000 children in the U.S. with autism, which is more than new pediatric cases of AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined.

There are so many myths and questions about autism and one Post Falls woman admits that living life with an autistic child isn't always easy but she wants other parents to know life certainly doesn't have to end.

Thirteen-year-old Jimmy is like any other young man. He likes animals, reads books and has a sense of humor that can keep you laughing for hours.

"He's extraordinarily interesting. His thought process is fascinating," Jimmy's mom Sharon Link said.

By all appearances Jimmy is a typical kid although his mom says she feared at a young age Jimmy suffered from autism. At age eight Jimmy received an official diagnosis.

"It was devastating when I first understood what was happening," she said.

Suzanee Wright, the co-founder of the group Autism Speaks, urged the United Nations to name Tuesday the first World Autism Awareness Day. Wright says with one in 150 people now diagnosed with the disorder, the world needs to come together to encourage support and find a cure.

"With the U.N. awareness, the global awareness, we need global collaboration and the entire globe to come in and find the cure because this is a global epidemic," Wright said.

Sharon Link says she now has to consider Jimmy's future.

"It's an adventure in a lot of ways. It's scary in others," she said.

Since Jimmy's diagnosis Sharon has studied autism extensively, earned her Ph.D and now helps counsel other parents with autistic children, encouraging them to seek therapy at the earliest signs and offering constant reassurance...

"It's going to be OK. I want parents to understand that it's OK," Sharon said.
Living with autism

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Posted: April 2, 2008 06:50 PM
Raising awareness about autism
Story by:
Karina Shagren / KXLY4 Reporter