Need Some Ideas, Anybody?

My talented husband is going to be creating something, I am sworn to silence about that at the moment, but he is trying to come up with a dedication for this thing, and wants it to be a kind of slogan regarding autism. We don't want it to be anything that uses fighting words, like, well "Fight Autism."

To me, when I think about what I want as a parent of a child with autism (let's be clear - with the new disorder that is labeled as autism), what I want is for the government to recognize this as the epidemic that it is (now 1 in 38 boys in England, probably more than 1 in 50 here), that something needs to be done immediately (yesterday), and for the research to be funded so we can end all of the speculating.

So, let's see I want recognition of this epidimic that is bigger than AIDS, recognition of the daily emotional and financial struggles families are going through, insurance to pay for autism treatment, government-funded research to find out why this epidemic is occurring, and HELP for families and children.

For instance, it's just not right that some states give families so much support in the form of respite care and ABA therapy in the home while other states such as ours give NOTHING except some in-home therapy until 3 years of age. The waiting list for Florida for any kind of assistance (respite care, ABA therapy, speech, OT, PT) through the Agency for Persons with Disabilities for us is now 2012. We've been on the list for three years already. So Liberty might get some services covered by the time he is 10 years old. I met a woman at an Easter egg hunt this past weekend who works for the state in the disabilities department and she said to me that I was lucky to have even gotten on the list. Meanwhile, I have a friend in Long Island who says that the state requires children with a diagnosis of autism to have ABA in the home and respite care to cover all holidays. She has people trooping in and out of her home all week long - SUPPORT. Same for folks in Pennsylvania.

Every state should have it.

If anybody can give me any input for ideas for a slogan, would you drop it my way? I want to say "help us help our kids," "give autism a voice - fund the research"...etc. Well, NOT that, but something that conveys these ideas. I don't want things like 'fight autism', 'stamp out autism.' I do like 'end autism' somehow.

And, no I am not someone who thinks autism is this beautiful mutation. I believe that our children are beautiful people, and the kids who can speak, I love what they say. Most of them seem to be so advanced in their thinking for such young ages. BUT, I KNOW now that this thing we are calling autism is a medical condition. We have dirtied up our world and there are toxins everywhere. The kids are showing us we need to change our behavior as a planet.

If you know you have a medical condition, you find out as much as you can about it and you treat it. If by treating my son, do I mean I am not accepting him? No. I accept my son as he is today. My son cannot speak. If he hurts, it hurts me. If his stomach is killing him and he can't tell me, it hurts me. If his brain is on fire and he is screaming, it kills me that I can't help him. My baby has been sick a long, long time and he is just now recovering but not because we just took him to the doctor and they knew what to do. It has been a road I don't want other parents to have to traverse.

I don't want to live in an underground society anymore. I guess I wish Barack and Michelle would take it up as their special project to help get autism research underway, to really green the vaccines, to somehow get everyone together on this and end the divided camps who rip each other apart.

Anyway, I digressed, but I know there will be those who accuse me of not accepting my son.

There are probably lots of metaphors to work with to come up with a slogan. I'll be thinking about it. Let me know if you think of something. And, thanks.