Thank you so much for sharing your story and thank you Oprah for finally addressing Autism on your show. I am a signle mom of 4; my youngest son was diagnosed when he was 3yrs old. I was fortunate at that time I was relocating to Erie, Pa - which has wonderful benefits for Autistic children. Unfortunately, I later moved to Maryland (horrid waiting lists) and now am in San Antonio. I am the only one providing for my children. Although I have a great job, I still find it a struggle to afford therapy for my son. He has lost so much time (apporximately 4yrs) without intense therapy, except for whatever the school provides.

Holly kept talking about a "window" and I am afraid I might have missed it for my son. Brandon is so happy all the time, no tantrums or behavioral issues, not even an abnormal EEG. The only thing I want is for him to "talk" to be able to tell me what hurts and what he wants. How can I afford it when I am already struggling? I have written to the Governor and the Senators because as Holly mentioned 1:94 boys will be diagnosed - what is this society going to do with these adults?

Group homes are not trained enough about Autism and they are overcrowded. Even our school system is overwhelmed. So what about us middle-class folks who can't spend thousands of dollars to help our children "recover" from Autism or find resources without waiting on long lists? States don't have enough funding or programs to accommodate these children but my child needs it now.

What can I do for my son at home that I don't need to spend money on? The best thing that has happened to him right now is that while I was in Iraq, his younger sister (5yrs old) took the time out to teach him things as she picked him to be her constant playmate. He can ride a bike, scooter, talk on command but he still needs constant supervision. I am prepared to have him live with me even if it means remaining single - but secretly I want to remarry and I want him to be as independent as he can be - is there hope for him?

Maria Cerrato, CPT, AN
Mother of Brandon, my babe.
San Antonio, TX

Thank you so much for the show today. It really opened my eyes. I have a very healthy and happy (almost) 2 year old (Lukas) and also a 3 month old (Jakob; both boys). I was very concerned when I had the first MMR with my 2 year old at 18 months and I asked the questions and of course they reassured me. Also I haven't had any shots with the little one quite yet.
My concern is; should I allow the next dose of MMR to Lukas at his 2 year visit? I'm scared; and wonder, what if I refuse the shots? What will they say? He seems fine now but I understand about having a little mechanic and spinning wheels most of the day. At playgroup and birthday parties, he wonders off and does his own thing. That might all be fine and normal but I'm scared. What are my options?

Hello Jenny & Holly, I wanted to first thank you for sharing your personal stories with the world, in the hope that you may be able to help so many other parents and children out there. I am 25 and I have a 20 month old little boy. He is of course my joy, but I have always been very aware of autism increasingly affecting more children every day, so in an effort to be able to recognize it should I ever need to, I listen very carefully when I hear the word come up. In the medical community vaccines are technically optinal, but pediatricians really aren't allowing them to be, so my son is current on all of his vaccines until he is 4, but I cringed with every one that came up, I declined the flu vaccine upon its option because it was the only one they said was not mercury free, as all others are supposed to be now. But now being in the boat that they are all done and cannot be taken back, I watch him very carefully, he talks a lot, just not always in words that would be normal to everybody else, (it's still baby talk), he is constantly on the move, he will not stay in 1 place very long on most occasions, we can get hugs usually, but never any kisses, his eye contact is good so far, and while he does have some interest in toys, it is not his main concern, I do at times find him spining wheels on things too. I think I am a little paranoid about autism, but I also think no parent really ever wants to admit their child has autism, so is there anything you would really recommend looking out for, or talking to my pediatrician about, web links to browse on information? And while I do think what Jenny said about a wheat free, dairy free diet sounds like a really good approach in general, does that require additional vitamin supplements given that kids are encouraged to drink lots of milk, and what can you really feed your kids then? I wish all the best to anybody in this fight... and just to give a little information I recently saw a news story stating UC Davis is trying to launch a study on autism, so at least things are being done, we just need answers faster. I don't think enough people are looking far enough into the future, while more children are diagnosed every day, we don't have an answer of where any of them will be in 50 years. As has been said many times before, the children of today, are the future of tommorow, so what are we really doing to protect our future?

I am the mother of an 8 year old son who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome this past April. I knew in my heart from the time he was 4 that something was off. We had him tested at a gifted clinic and he tested as gifted, so the experts all told us he was just "quirky" because he was so brilliant. It wasn't until 2nd grade when his teacher called us in and said "Have you ever condidered he may have Asperger's?" My husband and I looked at each other as if to say "what is she, crazy?" We thought we knew about Asperger's but clearly we didn't know enough to diagnose our son. She sent home an article a few days later and it was like reading an article about our own son. We knew immediately that Sam had Asperger's. If it hadn't been for the instinct of his persistant teacher, we still may be thinking he was just quirky. We need to educate our public schools on signs and traits of every developmental disorder. I believe there are so many childrens and adults out there undiagnosed. Sam has finally been diagnosed and it is a slow going road. He needs to develop better social skills more than anything, we actually take him to a "social skills" training beginning tomorrow. I am optomistic. My husband and I both know that Sam was made this way for a reason and given to us because we are strong. As parents, we must be the voice for our children.