In the spotlight...

Imagine sitting in a silent room with hundreds of people and all of a sudden you hear "SHUT UP!!!" followed by more ranting. Well this happened yesterday, in Mass of all places. Now I am sure you can imagine the shocked faces in such a large crowd. Well, some shocked, some startled (Remember, it was silent), and many perturbed. Looking across the aisles, I see this boy, five years young or so, black jacket, dark hair, brown eyes. And no, I am NOT talking about my son....at least this time :)

Anyways, as the scene unfolds, I found myself looking at everyone around him and the reactions in which were on display. The look of "OMG (no pun intended), horror, disbelief, head turns, etc. I felt the embarrassment, the shame, the sadness in the parent's face. They were in the spotlight because their "unruly" child was having a screaming fit about who knows what. Comes to find out, this child is highly autistic. He literally is trapped inside his own body with no way out. He is labeled as a trouble maker and a menace to society. People tell their children to stay clear of this child on the playground afraid of bad habits being brought home.

Children with ODD experience much of the same symptoms as a child with autism. Many times, ODD is misdiagnosed when in fact it is autism. My son too has outbursts at random times. He is angry, mean, frustrated, lost, impulsive, confused. But he is also loving, sweet, funny, silly and much more. But being in the "spotlight" is hard! Trust me, we have had our share of Hollywood attention at many inopportune times.

My point is that both these ailments are MEDICAL conditions, just like cancer, diabetes, etc. It is treated with medicine and therapy. Though it does not resemble your typical illnesses,  it is an illness that has physicians and parents baffled. It is becoming an epidemic....and that is HUGE!