A real life angel in our family(from Erica Little)

There's An Angel Whispering In My Ear


Can you hear him? I sure can!

He doesn't know the meaning of quiet. He is always repeating himself, and forever asking questions. Always the same questions!! He is constantly waving his arms, shaking, yelling and sometimes talking in a language only he can understand.
But, what Eric loves to do is watch T.V.; Jake and Josh, Pokemon. Lots of colour and action involved there!! He also loves swimming, Fairly Odd Parents, and reading books, (he has hundreds of them!) and take-out food. Of course, we mean the Golden Arches, pizza, and Hometown Buffet.

At home, he loves to eat spaghetti and meatballs, (no cheese), hamburgers, rice, cereal, peanut butter, milk, potato chips, Caesar salad with croutons, and chicken fingers. Did I mention chicken strips and chocolate cake his favorite!

The most impressive thing he can do is that he knows every single word and every single action to every single Disney cartoon movie.
I'm not making fun of him, because he is my brother and this is him, as I know and love him! He is definitely not weird, odd or stupid, and you should NOT be afraid of him. What Eric is, is…Autistic.

Autism is a disorder that impairs development of a person's ability to communicate and interact with other people and maintain normal eye contact with the outside world. You can't catch it like the cold or the flu; this is something you are born with. He was 2 ½ , when he was diagnosed with this disability. It affects about 1 out of every 10,000 children and is more common in males than in females.

Autistic children have difficulties with language, some never learning to speak, or developing very limited speech. Unfortunately, children with autism play alone. Eric is very lucky to have children that like to be around him.He enjoys his friends and they love to talk on the phone. Because all the kids in his class, right now, grade 6, have grown up with him and treat him with respect and understanding. They know what he's all about. He has had amazing teachers, which have helped also with his adjusting to each new school year.

Autistic children do NOT like change and have a very hard time coping with even minor changes in their surroundings and daily routines. That is a big one with Eric though, routine. Everything has to be the same way; same breakfast, same lunch, same dinner, drive to a certain place the exact same way, and always has to know WHERE we are going, if you have to take the freeway forget it,???

There is no cure or actual treatment for autism. What we know in our family is, that we take every single day as it comes, and he is included in everything we do, (even if he doesn't like it). That means going to the same school that we do and by observing what you and I do everyday, he is learning by observation. Modeling, as the professionals call it, is how he learned to speak. The occasional hug goes a LONGGGGGGG way too!!

Just look into his eyes and he is the closest thing to God, you will ever see. Because Eric, my my brother, is an Angel, and he is whispering in my ear, I Love You!!

I'd Give my life 4 you...