Questions I get asked often. 

Question: Why are autism rates rising so rapidly? That seems kind of high, like 1 in 80 or 100 now? 

Answer: I have no idea. (I have to fight being on the defensive because when I'm tired/cranky/down I hear: are there really that many kids with it or is this just another medical fad? Does your kid really have it? Most people are just benignly curious though. I hope.) Really, really smart Ph.D. types are mystified by this. Highly motivated moms and dads haven't figured it out either. I can tell you that after sitting in my daughter's classroom of nine kids, every one of them needs to be there. All of them. And she is in just one of two classrooms in a very small school. It is a problem. Truth is, I'm no expert. I'm just a mom. 

Question: Do vaccinations cause autism?

Answer: Nope, not going there. I'm either pro or anti- and you are either pro or anti- and I'd like to stay friends. Next question?

Question: Have you seen the Temple Grandin movie?

Answer: No, my library lost it. I've read a few of her books though. 

Question: Have you tried x supplement or y diet?

Answer: Sigh. Here I start fighting the urge to back away slowly. Is someone trying to sell me something? Have they just read a book recently that purports to be a cure-all? Are they offering to come and cook for me for free? (The last one has never happened). Most people are trying to be helpful, but don't realize that parents have kept pretty up to date on stuff and have a handle on it. 

Question: What is ASD?

Answer: Autism Spectrum Disorder. There are entire webpages dedicated to defining it that do a better job than I can. PDD-NOS is the designation give to individuals with some ASD traits, but not all. ASD is an umbrella that covers both autism and Asperger syndrome.  

Question: Don't kids with autism lack empathy?

Answer: Not mine. Not at all. She can hear a weeping toddler from across the store and we will talk, talk, talk about how she wants to help them. Yes, they have a mommy, yes she will take care of them. At a pool once, one darling little child had walked the skin off her toes on the concrete bottom. I couldn't drag my child away until the mommy fixed her. "Can I pet her" "awww, poor little baby," "it is OK, it is OK," she fussed over her and loved on her while I watched closely to see that we weren't stressing the mom. She will feed our dog and lizard--overfeed--out of the anxiety that they might be hungry. She is deeply empathetic. 

Question: What do they do for autism?

Answer: A lot. Speech therapy, Occupational therapy, Physical therapy, ABA therapy (Applied Behavioral Analysis) and a ton more that I've either forgotten the name to or haven't heard about yet. And they all are very, very expensive. The public school system provides a lot of services for free though, thankfully. But none of these are worth as much as patience, prayer and calm loving parents and siblings. 

These are the questions about autism that I call "routine". They are the typical conversation starters and I'm pretty cool with them. I'm dying to tell you the outrageous comments and questions that I've gotten. Still debating if I should or not.