Disability Information for Someone who has Autism
Contributed by Beverly Vicker

You and over 500,000 other individuals in the United States have a developmental disability which is called "autism."Having this disability means that you are still like everyone else in most ways.

• You eat and sleep.
  
• You brush your teeth.
  
• You wear favorite clothes.
  
• You go places such as the grocery store.
  
• You visit your doctor for a check up.
  
• You enjoy special activities like listening to music or working on the computer.
  
• You learn to do new things.
  

Having the disability of autism, however, also means that your body and your brain sometimes work differently from that of other people. As a result, you may do or experience things differently from people who do not have autism.

• You may hear sounds that are louder or bothersome only to you.
  
• You may like to spend long periods of time watching unusual things such as the spinning of a fan or movements made with your fingers.
  
• You may rock your body to help yourself relax when you feel nervous.
  
• You may get quite upset when people talk too fast and you do not understand their message. (You may forget that you could ask people to talk more slowly.)
  
• You may like to make lists of unusual things that are of major importance to you. (Over and over again you may make up or write these same lists.)
  
• You may have a hard time making friends. (Keeping or being a best friend for several years is even harder.)
  
• You may have difficulty figuring out how other people feel and why they act a certain way. (Others seem to interpret events and your behavior differently than you do.)
  
• You may like to talk about topics that other people do not seem to find interesting. (These topics might include things such as mileage between cities, or air conditioners.)
  
• You may feel more comfortable when things always stay the same. (Of course, things don't stay the same.)

Colds and measles are diseases. Autism is different. Autism is a developmental disability and its effects will always be with you. People with autism live a normal life span. Hopefully, you will live to be 70 years old or more.

How did you become autistic?

No one knows exactly why your brain developed slightly differently. The differences probably occurred while your mom was still pregnant with you, that is, before you were born. She did not do anything wrong; neither did anyone else. The differences just happened. The differences in your brain influence the way you do and understand some things. People identify a certain set of behaviors as autism.

How can you help yourself?

You can be successful at home, school, or work. You may need to use schedules, rule books, communication boards, relaxation and exercise programs, or medication to help you cope or learn better. Many people care about you. They will be glad to help you become a happy person who just happens to have a developmental disability called autism.

Vicker, B. (2003). Disability information for someone who has autism. Bloomington, IN: Indiana Resource Center for Autism.