April is Autism Awareness Month

That's right ladies and gents, April is Autism Awareness Month. With the numbers of children affected by Autism steadily on the rise it is time for us to really take a good hard look at what's going on. There are so many things that are suspected of triggering Autism and we need to be ready to get them off the market and away from our families.
There needs to be more understanding and tolerance of those who are Autistic. They are not bad or diseased or broken. They are people like you and me and anyone else. This campaign is something that is very near and dear to my heart. As a Big Sister and Cousin of some amazing people who happen to be Autistic I have a passion to educate people and make them aware.
Being the Big Sister of an amazing Autistic Brother had an abundance of rough patches that I will never forget, scars that will never go away of watching the complete ignorance of people and their intolerance for things they do not understand or know anything about. I had bruises and scuffs to prove that my brother was amazing and that anyone who had anything other to say was going to get a swift punch right in the nose. My brother and cousins are the most loving and caring people you will ever meet.
I wish I could be more like my little brother. He is an amazingly talented young man who writes some amazing screenplays! (Look out Spielberg!)He may not be the best at conversation and may ramble on and on about his love for all things Zombie and Bruce Campbell, but he is an amazing human being. There is nothing WRONG with him, he needs understanding and tolerance.
The range of Autism and how it affects people is so vast that there is absolutely no way to generalize them or their behaviors.
Why am I writing this? Again, April is Autism Awareness Month and throughout April I will be posting about just that..Autism Awareness. I am going to post some of my favorite Etsy items for you to see and post stories for you to read about Autism.
So for today, I found this item on Etsy.com it is a beautiful handmade necklace. The charm is sterling silver and absolutely gorgeous. It's not covered in primary colors making it hard to wear with other items. This gorgeous simple necklace can be worn in an everyday casual way or even in a more formal setting (at least for me it would be okay :) ). To see more items like this click here. That link will take you to the sellers shop front, if you click on the picture of the Awareness necklace it will take you to that item listing in her shop.

The seller's s/n on Etsy is anniereh if the links don't seem to be working for you.

Keep an eye out for more posts with more great Autism Awareness Items.

Food for Thought:

"Autistic beings develop and bloom if their spirits, talents, and self-esteem are not destroyed by bullies, prejudice, 'doggie-training', and being forced to be 'normal'." - Trisha Van Berkel