Light It Up Blue

[Peggy]

April is Autism Awareness Month. However, more important to me, is that World Autism Awareness Day is April 2nd, 2011.

An organization called Autism Speaks is one of the founders of this cause, Light It Up Blue, to spread awareness of autism and to commemorate WAAD.

Here are some facts for you..... 6 years ago, 1 in 150 children were diagnosed with Autism.
Those stats today are alarmingly different. 1 in 110 children are being diagnosed with some form of Autism.
One in 70 of those diagnosed, are boys. 1 in 70.

Why am I posting about this here? This is very personal for me.

You see, my 11 yr old son, Ed, is one of those 1 in 70 boys. Ed was diagnosed with several disorders on the Autism spectrum, 6 yrs ago when he was 5 yrs old. Mainly he has Asperger Syndrome, sensory processing disorder, severe anxiety disorder, Obsessive/Compulsive disorder - all disorders associated with Autism.

Yet he is a very high-functioning little guy. Extremely intelligent (his IQ test 3 years ago scored 152), computer savvy, makes straight A's in school, is completely obsessed with anything electronic - computers, iPod, DSi, Wii - and loves to study science, and weather.

To just spend casual time with him, you'd never know he's autistic. He's fun, affectionate, has a vocabulary that astounds his teachers on a daily basis (asperger kids are often referred to as "little professors" because of their extended and adult vocabulary), and is a joy to be around. You'd have to live with him 24/7 to know of his (what are often referred to as) oddities, idiosyncrasies, and obsessions.

Now that I've babbled on, I have a favor to ask.

I'm asking each of you to please join me in participating in Light It Up Blue, commemorating World Autism Awareness Day, on April 2. It's very easy to participate. All you have to do is 1- Wear something blue that day. OR 2 - change your outside light bulbs to blue bulbs and let 'em shine. That's it.

Please check out this website - http://www.lightitupblue.org. It really is a world effort. Buildings such as the Empire State building, the Sears Tower, the Statue of Liberty, most state capitols, the Eiffel Tower, Most US Embassies, and many other capitols around the world participate in Light It Up Blue. Also on that site you see how you can spread the word via FB, and you'll even find an iPhone app!

SO I'm asking you, in honor of my son, and all the children (and adults) diagnosed with Autism disorders.....

Will you join me, my friends?

 

[Kim]

Thanks Peggy, I was not aware of this Light it up Blue campaign.

I know that you know I have an Aspie son too - one who has a very badly injured arm currently, poor guy

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Peggy]

I believe that this is Light It Up Blue's 6th year, but I could be mistaken. I also, didn't know about it until 2 years ago.
I guess that's the purpose of the campaign, spread the word!

 

[whynot]

...World Autism Awareness Day is April 2nd, 2011.
...
Will you join me, my friends?

Yes,I will,Peggy.

 

[Jo.]

count me in, too

 

[Shamil]

Count me in!

 

[Arik]

Yes.

 

[whynot]

13 days to go.

 

[Peggy]

I bought my blue lightbulbs yesterday.

 

[fos]

Hi Peggy,

Thanks for the heads up. You can count me in.

I just happen to be a science teacher. Some of my favorite students have had something from the Autism spectrum. I still see many of them out in the real world on a regular basis. One young lady sounds like your son. She has a VERY high IQ. She was initially very hard to handle in my 7th grade class. Ultimately, she won first place in the UIL science competition that year. She blew everyone in our region out of the water. I sometimes feel like her guardian angel. She is now in high school. I try to make sure her teachers give her the TLC she needs.

My wife is an elementary school life skills teacher. She has applied to work in the Master's program majoring in Autism at Texas Tech in the fall.

They are great kids, they just need the proper care and nurturing along the way.

Jeff

 

[Peggy]

Hi Peggy,

Thanks for the heads up. You can count me in.

I just happen to be a science teacher. Some of my favorite students have had something from the Autism spectrum. I still see many of them out in the real world on a regular basis. One young lady sounds like your son. She has a VERY high IQ. She was initially very hard to handle in my 7th grade class. Ultimately, she won first place in the UIL science competition that year. She blew everyone in our region out of the water. I sometimes feel like her guardian angel. She is now in high school. I try to make sure her teachers give her the TLC she needs.

My wife is an elementary school life skills teacher. She has applied to work in the Master's program majoring in Autism at Texas Tech in the fall.

They are great kids, they just need the proper care and nurturing along the way.

Jeff

They really do. Not babying, as some might think, but proper guidance, care, and nurturing. It blew my mind when I saw a list of famous people who are, and were thought to be, Aspies (diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome). These people can literally do anything they set their minds to do, despite their disabilities and disorders - or perhaps because of them.

 

[Peggy]

My son brought home a paper yesterday that he wrote on Thomas Edison.

--------------------------------------​

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph and the light bulb. He invented the telegraph, too.​

He also started his own company.​

Besides his inventions, he generated electricity through his own electric company.​

In conclusion, everything he did, he did well.​

But I bet there's something you don't know about Mr. Edison. He had all of the symptoms​

of Asperger Syndrome.​

He is my hero!​

by Edwin Gurney​

3/18/11​

---------------------------------------​

My son is MY hero.

Please "light it up blue" for Autism Awareness!

 

[yavuz]

Just liked the ad

 

[Peggy]

and that is so true, just as with any disorder or disease.

 

[CTXMedia]

Avatar and signature updated.

 

[Peggy]

Avatar and signature updated.

Wonderful!!!! Thank you.

 

[CTXMedia]

Wonderful!!!! Thank you.

No probs. If only we could get EVERYONE to do it for a few days eh? ...

If only there was easy access to the logo image for them to change their avatar in a matter of seconds ...



... and a copy and paste BBCode line for the signature link that they could slot into the top of their signature using the BBCode editor [

]?

[URL]http://www.lightitupblue.org/[/URL] - Shine a Light on Autism

 

[Peggy]

WOOT!

Here's the "official" event page on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=189669104408591

They have a pic of the top of the Empire State Building lit up. I saw it in person 3 years ago. It was GORGEOUS!

 

[Peggy]

Perhaps it's worth noting that Home Depot and Coleman (makers of Coleman Lanterns) has teamed up with Autism Speaks and are selling the blue bulbs, and Coleman lanterns for Light It Up Blue. Read here.

So you know where to get the blue bulbs if you have a Home Depot in your area (country).

 

[HydraulicJack]

.

Likin' your support of helping people with autism, Peg!