Working to Bring Autism Research to the Forefront

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Ann Gay of LaGrange Park writes:

I have a son, his name is Ryan. He is a beautiful little 5-year-old boy with brown hair and blue eyes. He laughs and plays. I have never heard him say "Mommy." Ryan is autistic.

Approximately 40,000 families are dealing with autism today. It affects, among other things, the sensory system. The way you and I receive input from the world is through our senses - sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.

In an autistic person, this whole system is impaired. Some senses may be overly sensitive, leaving the person to shut down to protect themselves from overload, while other senses are undersensitive, sending very little or no input …