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Jason McElwain.....an autistic boy changing lives

The story of Jason McElwain never ceases to amaze me. I'm often amazed, though, that the coach never saw his potential before the last game of his senior year. It makes me wonder how much of a high school basketball "career" he missed out on.

At the same time, though, if it hadn't been for playing those last 4 minutes in that last game of his senior year, how many of us wouldn't have been touched by the enormity of what this young man could do.

Every time I watch the video footage of "JMac," I get tears in my eyes. I see my own son in this young man and have hope that someday, my Zach will do something that will "wow" the rest of the world and show that autistic kids are bright and amazing, far beyond what other people see on the surface.

JMac is now releasing his new book and doing book tours.

You can check out lots of video footage on JMac by clicking ----> HERE

There's lot of good watching there.....you won't be disappointed.

Get some great art and support autism at the same time!

If you're looking to get some great art and support autism at the same time, then you're in for a treat.

I just listed my first piece of artwork on Ebay yesterday and will be putting up a new piece every week or two.....and I'm hoping that Zach will also put some of his artwork up for auction, as well.

My family and my life are my inspiration for many of the things that I create. And because my family and life are my inspiration, I created this 16 x 20" canvas to benefit Autism Awareness.

As much as I feel connected to this piece of art, I didn't create this to hang in my home, but to hang in someone else's home. I don't know who that person is yet, but I know they're out there somewhere. This piece is available on Ebay here ---> "Love Rocks" on Ebay  - and 90% of the final auction bid will go to benefit  an organization that is "dedicated to empowering, supporting and educating families and friends of children with autism as well as individuals with autism by providing guidance, support, informational resources and family-oriented activities, in addition to financial assistance for medical, educational or professional services, treatments or programs for those with autism, while building a heightened public and professional awareness of the challenges faced, with emphasis on enabling those with autism to achieve independent living." (from autismsupportdaily.com)

Thanks for looking and make sure to check back for new auctions!

Diagnosing Girls' Autism

A couple weeks ago, I watched a fantastic video done by ABC.com  This video shows a little girl with autism and says that girls are harder to diagnosis than boys, as they often disguise the symptoms.

It's a fascinating, but also heartbreaking, video and just proves that more people need to be aware of what's going on. People also need to be more patient with children and families that are dealing with autism every day. This comes with educating people.

The more we spread the word, the more we educate people, the more we make people aware, the more we can work towards a better present AND future for our kids.

Diagnosing Girls' Autism

Great autism awareness items! Spread the word!

AutismButtons.com
I ran into a local friend recently whose little guy has autism and it was good to catch up with each other on how our boys are doing. She and her little guy live in the next town over and is a little younger than my Zach.

She pointed to her van and I could see her bumper sticker. She told me that she found an awesome website with all kinds of autism related items that are great for making people aware. She sent me an email with the link to this site and I wanted to pass it along to all of you.

Autism Buttons & More is a great site with lots of items available to help spread the word about autism. There's buttons, bracelets, car magnets and bumper stickers, ID tags and SO MUCH MORE! This is probably the site with the MOST product available for the cause of Autism Awareness. I was amazed at how much was on here!

The prices for the products AND shipping are very affordable and I have a wish list that's already growing and I'll be putting my order in soon.

The items on this site are great for passing around to friends, family, teachers, doctors, interventionists, etc. They make great gifts for the people that work with our children and I have plans to make this site my go-to place for gifts. This site has over 450 styles of buttons.....talk about finding something for everyone!

This site is run by a father of an autistic child. His passion is to educate, create awareness and to find a cure. I'm always touched by other parents that raise their voice to be heard when their children can't always be heard.

Check them out at: Autism Buttons