What is Autism Awareness??

April is Autism Awareness month but for who? Is it really for others out there? I always wonder that. Those affected by Autism are aware, boy are we aware. And really I wonder if I would have listened when I was pregnant, when maybe I could have made changes that would have changed our trajectory? Would I have listened as a new parent? Now I look back and things are SO clear. A fussy baby who had a really hard time nursing (low tone) and who was very reactive to formula (dairy intolerance). I see the sensory issues that made trips to the grocery store excruciating (for him and me). I felt like a failure as a parent, the most important job I could imagine. I recognized how he "changed" after each immunization and my pediatrician replied that he had never heard that before. The child who had started to sleep a full night immediately STOPPED sleeping on the night of his 4 months shots. It would take months for the effects of immunizations to fade and then we were due for the next ones. I remember how my son's eyes would go to my hairline rather than my eyes at 3 months of age. What could I say to a new parent to make them "aware"? I wonder what Autism Awareness is really about? How many people are really listening that aren't already impacted by Autism? I see our food supply in sad, sad shape. I see us pushing even more immunizations than we ever had (did you hear about the new Yeast infection vaccine, I AM SERIOUS HERE), I see more toxins in our world than EVER before. Everything is antibacterial, everything is made with bleach or chemicals. There are no real ingredients everywhere. Most people subsist off fast food or pre-packaged meals. Those in the Autism community make old fashioned bone broth, fermented foods, give probiotics nightly and supplements like cod liver oil. We have gone "back to basics" to heal our children. Many are finding relief from their physical ailments and ironically enough, their Autism symptoms are also fading. It never fails, when I tell M's story I usually get one person who says "so he really didn't have Autism then if he doesn't have it now". I have to chuckle inside. If I could give you a snapshot of my life 3 years ago......the lengths we went to to keep our son safe and us sane. No sleep, sensory seeking, food craving (mainly wheat and dairy *ding, ding, ding*), meltdowns (from food intolerances, yeast and bacterial imbalances), mouthing EVERYTHING, not playing with kids, no eye contact, no language, etc. Many cannot conceive of it watching him today, playing with kids, talking to excess, making friends, telling me he loves me. At the rate Autism is growing, more families will go down the same path. I educate many on this path to what biomed is from a family's perspective. But what if real awareness is getting to prospective moms and dads? I am sad to say I would have probably said "oh that won't happen to MY child". The problem is, no one thinks it will happen to their child and yet Autism is now 1 in 91. So who's child will it be next?