Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Autism Awareness Giveaway Hop


Annual Autism Awareness Giveaway Hop April 11th to 17th


April is Autism Awareness Month.

To help spread the word about Autism those wonderful ladies mentioned above are hosting a giveaway hop. Each participating blog is hosting a giveaway. You will find lots of variety among the prizes. Some of the blogs are giving away prizes that relate to autism, other blogs are giving away gift cards or other prizes and posting information about autism to help make others aware. We know the causes and treatment of autism can bring controversy. The point of this giveaway hop is simply to make people more aware about the subject by sharing information and experiences.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. CDC estimates that about 1 in 88 children has been identified with an ASD. CDC is working to find out how many children have ASDs, discover the risk factors, and raise awareness of the signs. You can also find out more at AutismNow.org.

I think there are very few people who are not affected by autism in some manner or another. I have a family member who is autistic, and I have quite a few friends who are the parents of autistic children. I have no doubt that you have your own experience with it. I am not an expert on autism, nor am I going to provide a bunch of information that you can find yourself on Google. This is just me bringing your attention to the subject matter.

I would like you to share something you know about autism, a personal experience (if you are okay with that), or some piece of information that you wrestled from the Google Monster in the comments below. The incentive for sharing with the other hopping visitors is your choice of book, up to $12 (USD). It is international, as long as The Book Depository ships to your country.

Giveaway Requirements:
  • Leave a blog post comment sharing an experience you may have had with autism or a bit of information you found on Google. (I don't have to tell you guys to keep it civil, right?)
  • Following is not required, but it is appreciated. Your options can be found on the right sidebar, though I don't have the pretty buttons yet.
  • Sharing the giveaway is not required either, but spreading the word about my stop or the hop in general will be greatly appreciated.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Now is the time to hop along to the other stops!

83 comments:

  1. One of my really good friends is on the autistic spectrum. He's pretty good at dealing with it, so most of the time you can't tell.

    I watched a trailer for a crazy Asian action movie about an autistic girl. No joke: the tagline was "this special needs girl has a special need to kick some ass." I told him about it and he loved it. Showed his autism support group. Apparently, it was a huge hit. I haven't actually watched it yet, but for those interested it's called Chocolate, I think.

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    1. Thanks for sharing that! My family member can't really give his consent for me sharing his experience, but I'm sure his care-taker may be interested in the movie. I'll have to pass the title along. :-)

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  2. +JMJ+

    One of my best friends has a young son on the autism spectrum. It was she who shared with me the analogy of parenting as a long-awaited trip to a foreign country (which, I gather, is a popular story among parents of autistic children) . . .

    Let's say that you spend your entire life wanting to go to Rome, saving up both money and information, and making detailed plans of what you will do and see when you're there . . . only to have your airplane land in Amsterdam. It will be a shock, yes, and even a disappointment--but then you will be left with two choices: moping over your bad luck and letting it cloud the rest of your days . . . or committing yourself to finding things to love about Amsterdam and being happy no matter what.

    My friend said that finding out your child is on the spectrum is like touching down in Amsterdam when what you wanted with all your heart was Rome. But you can learn to love Amsterdam--and possibly love it even better. =)

    Thank you for the giveaway.

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    1. That is such a great analogy. Thank you for sharing. :-)

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  3. My mom works at a preschool with special need children all over the spectrum and 3 of my closest friends have autistic brothers.

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  4. My daughter is 4 tomorrow and she was diagnosed with autism 18 months ago. She is a beautiful child but sometimes it is very hard for all of us. There are so many different levels of autism some worse some better than my daughter but it doesn't make the issue any easier. We just try and do everything we can to make sure she gets the most she can out of life, which means a lot of OT, physio and intervention because my daughter has no speech, but we are progressing and she is learning words everyday :)

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    1. That is so fantastic! Good luck in your journey, and I wish your family the best. :-)

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  5. Autism causes kids to act in unusual ways. They might flap their hands, say certain words over and over, have temper tantrums, or play only with one particular toy. Most kids with autism don't like changes in routines. They like to stay on a schedule that is always the same. They also may insist that their toys or other objects be arranged a certain way and get upset if these items are moved or disturbed.

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  6. An estimated 1 out of 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls are diagnosed with autism

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  7. I worked with non-verbal autistic preschoolers as a speech therapist, for several years. I found them very challenging but, also, very rewarding.

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  8. It affects boys more than girls. I witnessed lots of episodes where children bullied autistic children. It was awful

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  9. Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life.

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  10. Autistic children actually have very high IQ ;)

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  11. Autism Is a 'Spectrum' Disorder - People with autism can be a little autistic or very autistic. Thus, it is possible to be bright, verbal, and autistic as well as mentally retarded, non-verbal and autistic. A disorder that includes such a broad range of symptoms is often called a spectrum disorder; hence the term "autism spectrum disorder." The most significant shared symptom is difficulty with social communication (eye contact, conversation, taking another's perspective, etc.).

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  12. Since I didn't have any personal expirience I turned to google and searched famous people with autism. I was surprised to find out that Satoshi Tajiri, creator of Pokemon, is one of them.

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  13. I know that exists lots of treatments for autism but not a cure, this is so sad :(

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  14. I learned that autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life

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  15. I heard that one in 88 children in USA have autism and that's the largest number in the whole world... I don't know if it's true anyway.

    Disincentive @ (read, watch, listen) - reviews

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  16. I used to work with autistic kids and once had an experience when I was on a bus with a 9 year old autistic kid who was verbal and he was singing (not particularly words, just repetitive musical noises) and a grown woman gave him the filthiest look and actually got up and moved from the seat in front of us, as if he were contagious. It disgusted me. Awareness of autism is so important.

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  17. Thank you for participating in the hop & helping to raise awareness about autism. I used to be a TSS and one of my clients was an autistic girl. The other kids were surprisingly kind to her and it made me realize that awareness and knowledge is such an important part of our society.

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  18. One of my friend's brothers is autistic and it's been hard but he's so very smart. It's amazing. He also has very good friends and works at an animal shelter with his older siblings as a volunteer. Animals really help

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  19. I have very little experience with Autism, but I knew a guy with highly functional Autism. He defied every stereotype. He was a little shy, but very social overall. :)

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  20. I have learned a lot from this hop. I can't believe that 1 in every 54 boys has autism! I think everyone knows at least one person with this disease.

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  21. As a teacher I find that many people don't know a lot about autism. Unknowingly, they plan activities which result in the child feeling excluded or unsuccessful. It is not done on purpose, but more due to a lack of knowledge and understanding. Teachers and others need more training and information on how to plan experiences for children that result in everyone being successful regarding of the child.

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  22. One in 88 children is on the autism spectrum.

    eai(at)stanfordalumni(dot)org

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  23. Studies show that autism is three to four times more common among boys than girls.

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  24. My stepbrother is autistic, so I have a little bit of experience with Autism.

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  25. Studies show that if one identical twin has Autisim, it is 90 percent likely that the other will also.

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  26. Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life

    s2s2 at comcast dot net

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  27. I didn't know that boys are more likely to have Autism than girls.

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  28. My son has Aspergers and he has a very high IQ but hates to be around people or talk much.

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  29. I have a friend whose brother who has autism. He was diagnosed when he was almost five. The whole family, including mine, learned all we can about autism.

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  30. My oldest brother has autism. Come meet him on my blog :) http://worddiaries.blogspot.com/p/my-brother-naeem.html

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  31. I learn that there’s no medical detection or cure for autism. There are dozens of treatments for autism, but no cure.

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  32. I learned that there's a lighter form of autism called Aspergers syndrome.

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  33. I think people w/ autism is no different from everyone of us...
    I sometimes think that they are more gifted than we are

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  34. My son has aspergers. I learned that there aren't services to really help him as he gets older.

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  35. There is no known cure for autism. Children recover occasionally, so that they lose their diagnosis of ASD; this occurs sometimes after intensive treatment and sometimes not. It is not known how often recovery happens; reported rates in unselected samples of children with ASD have ranged from 3% to 25%. Most autistic children can acquire language by age 5 or younger, though a few have developed communication skills in later years.

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  36. My little neighbour has been diagnosed with autism. Sometimes he is really nice, but when he's got a bad day, there's no way how to get him to do something or to stop him from doing something. I haven't got my own children, but sometimes I doubt whether I'd be able to be so patient as his mum is...I admire all parents who help their children with autism to live their live fully..

    Thanks for the giveaway

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  37. New Data Reports One in 88 Children in the US has been Identified with Autism.

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  38. Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills.

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  39. I've only known of one child in my family who is autistic. Finding out that he was autistic came as a shock to me because it was told to me by my granny in a very insensitive and prejudiced manner. We were at a family function and I didn't think the child was doing anything out of the ordinary, but my granny felt the need to inform me that I should stay away because there was something wrong with that child and he was not right in his head. This upset me greatly as I've always felt that prejudice should never be shown towards those who are challenged in some way.

    Sarah Bibi Setar (Rafflecopter name)

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  40. My son is on the spectrum. It's nice to see so many people taking more of an interest in autism.

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  41. I have several family members on the spectrum.

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  42. I work with an autistic girl. She's the loveliest lass you'll ever meet, she just views the world in a very simple way. You can't be sarcastic and joke around with her because she doesn't understand it.

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  43. I have a friend that has a daughter on the spectrum, and it makes me sad when she has a hard time finding someone that will take her during the summer for programs.

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  44. My friend just found out her son has it, and it has totally turned her life around. I think it's great that the book bloggers get together and do this hop once a year to get the word out. So many people(myself included) don't know all the facts, so to read all these personal accounts, as well as seeing the effect it's had on cultuer(books, movies, etc), is an enlightening and learning experience.

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  45. I don't really know much about autism, but from the Google monster I found that "Scientists aren’t certain about what causes ASD, but it’s likely that both genetics and environment play a role." Which sort of freaks me out because if they don't know what causes it how is it meant to be prevented/cured? Thanks for the giveaway!

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  46. I've known quite a lot of people with autism and one day I spent a day with a little boy with autism and he was so lovely and we had a great time at the playground.

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  47. Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.

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  48. Until I meant my best friend I didn't know anything about Autism. She has to always know what's going to happen and keep a precise schedule (which works for me because I'm like this too!). And she has been gluten-free since before it became the thing to do because it helps regulate her symptoms. But she is also crazy smart, and can best anyone at Scrabble any time of the day. As we've grown up it has become easier for her to handle social situations, but she is still uncomfortable. that's why I'm her wing woman!

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  49. When I was an English tutor, I tutored some students with various stages of Autism. It was difficult sometimes, but rewarding.

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  50. With 1 in 88 children now being diagnosed, there are a large number of families whose lives have been altered in some way by autism

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  51. My exboyfriend's lil bro is autistic and he cooks the best food I've ever tasted!

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  52. My nephew has moderate autism. He just started junior high this year and plays special olympics basketball. He is such a sweetheart! Love him.

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  53. My son is on the spectrum, and all he wants is to be loved and treated like a "normal" person :)

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  54. Children with autism are as unique as children without. I am amazed at how many more boys are impacted by this disorder than girls.

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  55. Well...i really love movies about autism - for example Mary and Max or Rainman. I think you will watch it .) :)

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  56. Autism now affects 1 in 88 children and more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined.
    There are a lot more facts I discovered, which shocked me a little as I never realized how common autism is.

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  57. I have a friend whose son is on the spectrum and my sister works with autistic kids every day.

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  58. My grandson has autism and is doing quite well. He has ADD as well. A handful for Mom but we are all very thankful he is so smart.

    cenya2 at hotmail dot com

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  59. From the Autism Speaks website I learned that about 40% have average to above average intellectual abilities. I believe that, my grandson has Aspergers and is highly intellegent. He has problems with reading comprehension though because he doesn't have any interest in regular stories, just ones with lots of data and facts and figures. My daughter has done a wonderful job advocating for him, I'm very proud of her.

    seriousreader at live dot com

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  60. I have random experiences with mentally challenged kids and I only know little about them but there's one thing I'm sure of and that is the fact that they're worth of our love and attention no matter what situation they are in.

    clarissa(dot)bulatao(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  61. I don't have experience with autism children but I know that it has a strong genetic basis. Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. Although there is no known cure, there have been reported cases of children who recovered.

    savedbymercy(at)gmail(dot)com

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  62. Not all people with autism have an incredible gift or savantism for numbers or music. People with autism are ordinary people... with autism.

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  63. I don't know anyone affected by autism, luckily. But, it scares me how much more prevalent it is in boys.

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  64. I have a cousin (who is a month younger than me) with autism, and as a child I had a hard time understanding her/getting along with her.

    fallingfan at gmail.com

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  65. One of my friends used to look after an autistic boy and he came round occasionally. He used to love to sit and watch my cat.

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  66. Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism

    thanks for making this inernational!!

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  67. I know several families with autistic teenagers. One couple go to church and you can see the love they have for their son and vice versa.

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  68. A small but growing body of research suggests that autism risk is less among children whose mothers took prenatal vitamins (containing folic acid) in the months before and after conception.
    kimberlybreid at hotmail dot com

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  69. I'm a special education teacher with some students with ASD in my class. Some of these students are high function, while others will never live independently. At times, my job is quite challenging, but I would not trade it for anything! :)

    Thanks!

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  70. There's developing research that may show autism risk is less among children whose mothers took prenatal vitamins.

    Lilian @ A Novel Toybox

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  71. My grandson has Aspergers and I feel the more that is known about autism the better it is for the children who have this lifelong disease.
    nicolesender(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  72. Thanks for the amazing giveaway. One of my best friend's brother has autism, but he is really one of the sweetest people I know :)

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  73. I haven't had much idea about it before this hop,but now I have learned that "Some people live with autism for their entire life without ever getting a formal diagnosis.Often this is simply because autism wasn't widely known or understood when they were growing up. For adults, a diagnosis of autism can help to explain why they have always found certain things difficult. For children, it can mean that the right support is put in place from an early age".

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  74. I didn't really know a lot about autism before because I don't know anyone with autism, but now i now that it is more common among boys and there are more diagnoses among higher sociio-economic classes

    the imagine tree at aol dot com

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  75. My cousin's child has autism. She has ocd and trouble socially.

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  76. Lots of kids benefit from a gluten-free and casein-free diet. It helps with behavioural issues.

    Thanks for the giveaway and for promoting autism awareness.

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  77. my nephew is autistic - so I love the awareness this hop is bringing to the whole subject

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  78. abrennan09@hotmail.com
    I have worked with young adults and adults with intellectual disabilities including some with autism. It felt like it took a long time - but eventually I saw progress in each and every young person/student that I supported. With one particular gentleman who lived with autism, we explored many employment ideas and opportumities. When we found the position that he personally had a connection with - he worked twice as hard as the typical employee. He was eventually paid for his weekly contribution there and I was able to simply drop him off and pick him up, instead of having to stay and monitor (as he would need "mental" breaks outside in order to remain calm and focussed). He made huge strides in the two years that I supported him and I was so proud to be a part of that beginning for him.

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You are going to put words in my box?! *squeezes you* Now I shall stalk YOUR blog!