Autism support

There are many day-to-day tasks that we all too often take for granted. Communicating, for example.

Cynthia Brown, a Poplar Bluff, Mo., doctor recently spoke of her frustration when at the age of 3, her son Rex could barely speak. But more than a year ago, Brown took her son, now 14, to the Southeast Missouri State University Autism Center for Diagnosis and Treatment. After a detailed diagnosis a therapist gave Rex a keyboard device to help him communicate. And communicate he did. Rex is now thriving, using technology provided through the clinic to improve his language and verbal skills.

Taylor Crowe, diagnosed with autism in 1985 at the age of 3, said in an editorial in Sunday's Southeast Missourian that proper therapy for autistic individuals can have incredible benefits.

Crowe, who is now an accomplished painter, lecturer and author, wrote, "I really believe that with the right kind of help, for many people autism can become more of an inconvenience than a disability."

As we mark Autism Awareness Month, consider what role you might play in helping those affected by autism. Whether it's volunteering with an autism organization or financially supporting the cause, let's agree with Taylor and help make autism an inconvenience rather than a disability.