Autism Education & Support: What is Autism?

• Autism is one of a group of disorders called Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
• It affects 1 in every 150 children born today
• Affecting social interactions and communication, it can create unusual interests and behaviors

These are the basic facts about Autism that are frequently quoted in most literature on the subject. You hear them more and more often these days, though for those who don’t have direct contact with this group of disorders, it probably doesn’t mean much. There is a lot more to autism than just bullet points.

Whether you have been personally touched by autism, or are merely more aware now that it has become visible via personalities such as Jenny McCarthy, Toni Braxton or perhaps via sports figures such as Doug Flutie, Dan Marino and just recently Ernie Els... autism has reached epidemic proportions. Facts and figures don’t begin to tell the whole story of what this diagnosis is doing to tens of thousands of families, some of whom you possibly know. Faces and names, smiles and tears are all connected in a way that most would prefer not to experience, though the fact is that these children bring some miraculous moments to those whom they touch.

Many of these children begin life and their development just as do their typical peers. Often, up until the age of two or three, they go through the normal milestones of crawling, first steps, first words and so on. Then, at some point, something changes. Their eye contact begins to waver. They may reduce the number of words they use, or stop speaking altogether. They may become hyper sensitive to sounds, smells or textures and may begin to demonstrate some unusual physical behaviors. And over time, they withdraw into their own world, creating an invisible bubble around themselves that is difficult to break through. Imagine watching your child become a shell of what they were, going from cuddling and loving to non-responsive and dispassionate. This is the early face of autism.

After adopting our daughter from Romania at 27 months, she was diagnosed as being on the spectrum at age 4. We went through many of the same emotions that we’re sure most parents do at that point; confusion, sadness, anger, denial… however at some point, that changes. It turns into determination to do whatever is necessary to help your child and to begin to search for people who can assist in that quest. Having been through this experience, we knew from early on that we wanted to use Javámo Coffees to help others who were facing these questions. As such, we created the Javámo Art for Autism Foundation, a 501(c) 3 non-profit to which 10% of the proceeds from each sale are dedicated. We are currently designing programs that will help improve not only the lives of those who are touched by this difficult disorder, but those who support them as well.