For those who know me, it’s hard to believe I missed it. But the good news is, I just missed the day, I didn’t miss the whole month. April is Autism Awareness Month and April 2 was the first International Autism Awareness Day. In marking the day, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated:

“On this day, the United Nations reaffirms its commitment to the rights and well-being of people with disabilities – a commitment rooted in our fundamental principle of universal human rights for all. … Let us pay tribute to the courage of children with autism and their families, as they strive every day to confront the disability with a powerful combination of determination, creativity and hope. Let us empower them and respond to their needs today, so as to make our societies more accessible, enabling and empowering for all our children tomorrow.”

Why was it surprising that I missed this day? That’s easy. Like many of my colleagues across the state of Maine, my classroom is home to all kinds of students, including those on the autism spectrum. Professionally, I enjoy having students with autism in my classroom. I consider it an adventure that allows every member of the classroom community to grow. Personally, my husband and I, our families and our friends, and many teachers and community members are raising our son, Carl. He has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. So between my professional life and my home life, I should not have missed the first International Autism Awareness Day.

Teachers and students need to know about autism. Currently it is the fastest growing developmental disability. It grows 10 percent to 17 percent each year. Right now, that means 1 in 150 births is a child with autism. Autism is not due to bad parenting nor is it due to a deprived infancy or childhood. It is a neurological lifelong disability.

What’s really interesting about people with autism is that not everybody has every characteristic and every characteristic does not equally affect each individual. This makes it challenging for classroom teachers and peers because learning how autism works in one student doesn’t mean that you will know or even understand how it works in another person.

You may not know if one of your child’s classmates has autism. Teachers and schools are not allowed to share that information. It is not only unethical, it is against the Federal Educational Right to Privacy Act. A parent of a child with autism may choose to tell you, but please don’t ask them. Let the family make their own decision about what they want to tell and who they want to tell.

If you have a child with autism in your classroom, read as much as you can about the condition. The Web is full of resources. Take advantage of any and all professional development on the topic. The other thing a teacher needs to do is develop a personal relationship with the child and with the parents. These relationships can be your best tools for successfully integrating this child into your classroom.

I could tell you lots and lots of stories of teaching with students on the autism spectrum in my classroom. And I could tell you lots and lots of stories about raising my son. It’s hard to choose the story that will exemplify what it’s all about. In fact, I don’t think there is a single story that does show what it’s all about. However, you might want to check out these resources to hear and see what it means to have autism:

“Billy the Kid” is an independent documentary movie about a Maine teenager. One of the things Billy says about himself is: “I know I’m unique. I don’t let it go to my head though. [I’m] just someone who was born different from others. I’m not black, I’m not white, not foreign … just different in the mind, different brains, that’s all.” I highly recommend this film. It is scheduled to be shown on HBO’s WMAX (East) at 7:05 a.m. Monday, April 21; 3:40 a.m. Friday, April 25; 11:10 a.m. Wednesday, April 30. Also visit: www.billythekiddocumentary.com and www.hbo.com/docs/programs/billythekid/index.html.

You might also be interested in viewing “Autism, the Musical.” It’s not a parody. This is the story of five children with autism, their families and a woman who helps them write and perform their own musical.

Information is at www.hbo.com/docs/programs/autism/index.html. My son’s Web page is at http://fraglord.googlepages.com and the Maine Autism Society’s site is www.asmonline.org. An online resource and community for autism and Asperger’s is www.wrongplanet.net.

Do you have an autism spectrum disorder? Have you learned from a student with autism in your classroom? What are your stories of living with autism? Let’s continue this conversation. E-mail me at: conversationswithateacher@gmail.com