Part of the joy of being an expectant mother is looking forward to bringing new life into the world.  Part of the burden of being an expectant mother is the worry that your child will be healthy.  Normal.   

So imagine the trauma of parents who deliver a healthy baby, only to watch that child disappear into a world of darkness midway through the toddler years.

This is the curse of autism.

What is autism?  I guess the best way to explain it is "impaired social interaction": 

Babies who are unresponsive to people, but tend to focus on one item for long periods of time. 

Children  who fail to respond to their name and often avoid eye contact with other people. 

Toddlers who have difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling because they can’t understand social cues, such as tone of voice or facial expressions.

Children who do not watch other people’s faces for clues about appropriate behavior.  

Children who lack empathy. 

Remember the movie Rain Man?  It was the story of a man (played by Tom Cruise)  who tracks down his autistic brother (played by Dustin Hoffman) who's been in an institution for most of his life.  At first, the Tom Cruise character is indifferent.  Then he becomes fascinated by his autistic brother's unusual abilities (like memorizing the phone book)  and frustrated by his stubborness (he has to watch The People's Court every day at the same time.)  In the end,  the Tom Cruise character becomes a better person, by learning to love his autistic brother.

But Rain Man was just a movie.  Real life is much more complicated.

Recent statistics show about 80 percent of married couples with autistic children get divorced.  The cost of caring for a child with autism can be enormous.  And the mental toll of dealing with a child with such a frustrating disability is probably inexplicable.

So what can any of us do?  I think the first step is to be informed.  Check out this website: http://www.autismspeaks.org/

Children with autism deserve a full and well rounded life.  Today is a day we should all set aside, to ensure that happens.