Dear Hara,

I just wanted to comment on your opinion of the Autism bumper sticker that you noticed recently. Not all children with Autism have a voice, many of them are non-verbal which means they can not communicate with others the way we do. If there was an accident, or say the child wandered away, if they were wearing a bracelet, or in a car that had an awareness bumper sticker or a t-shirt adults and police would be able to better help the child knowing that he can not respond to verbal commands, nor can he answer questions including his name. So say the child has autism, and is allergic to peanuts if he is non verbal how do YOU expect him to tell someone he is allergic???? Next time you should put yourself in the shoes of a parent dealing with this type of disability and be more understanding instead of so judgemental and HATEFUL!

Dear Hara,

To comment on your view of "Why" people post Autism related items on their vehicles, child, self or any other personal item was very rude and hateful to say the least. Are you a Psycologist or just the editor for one?

For starters, the last comment pretty well sums it up. I have a child with autism who was non-verbal, has problems with communication (which is a major part of autism), is allergic to dairy products and peanuts, also has an epi-pen AND a medic-alert bracelet but I still "put on the labels"....why???...I am tired of people being judgemental when it comes to autistic children..you know, the screaming kid in the department store remember?? That could have been my kid and yes, we got rude looks, comments on how to parent him ("If he were my kid"), people talking about how much of a brat he is, etc. I put a button on my son when he does go out in public and encourage others to do the same. It really does help. Yes I even have those bumper stickers, stickers for medical personel on my front door and his bedroom window because he IS important to me and I want others to know he has Autism. It is nothing to be ashamed of, we are blessed to have him.

Please, think before you write something like this. Don't judge until you have walked a day in our shoes lived a day with an autistic child. With the Autism rates going higher, maybe your family will be blessed with a special child with Autism!

Well, everyone else can be nice about it but I just wanted to say you are one ignorant bitch.

It is vividly apparent that the individual who posted this mindless commentary isn't that intelligent. Unfortunately for us, she has the right to voice her opinion on the issue (how ever much insight that opinion actually offers into the kind of person she actually is). I hate to say it, but there are a bunch of people out there just like her who are discriminatory, judgemental and seemingly unaware of what is occurring in the real world.

Usually, these bumper stickers, tee shirts, etc. spark healthy curiosity in people and they then use their brainpower to seek out more information about what they have viewed. Anyone with the where-with-all knows the power of these displays, as I am sure that many a person has been inspired after learning more to contribute positively toward fighting against not just autism, but other serious illnesses. Autism walks, volunteer activities, etc. are extremely IMPORTANT contributions in the fight against these afflictions. But I guess this would only be for people who were bright enough to see beyond their own existences.

I think we should just appreciate the people who "get it" and not lose any sleep over those like the author of this empty "complaining." Just as she'll likely continue to put her foot in her mouth on MORE occasions and regarding OTHER topics, we should all just keep proudly display our bumperstickers, etc. and ignore her. Let's just move on with promoting awareness of just how profound this disorder really is. Anyone who is not able to see the impact that awareness can have on diseases like autism really isn't worth the anger when you think about it. They only serve to drain the rest of us of energy that would be much more productively spent focusing on how we can further help. Why waste energy fighting with people like this woman?

Bigotry and ignorance are sad indeed, but they are really sad when people don't even realize they have these traits. I am sure she sees her comments as just an "innocent opinion." Hopefully she doesn't voice them at a dinner party or among any intelligent people.

Hara, another very important reason for these buttons and badges and bumper stickers is advertising. Yes if you look at some of the stickers you will note it states 1 in 150 children have autism. That was then TODAY (2008) 1 in 66 children have autism. What has caused this jump? There are many programs out there (of course not covered by insurance) that people are not aware of. Usually the first time they look into them is because all of a sudden they have a child with autism, they have a grandchild with autism, they have a niece or nephew with autism. We need people to be aware now not when it hits their family. Please help us announce to the world that autism can hit any family at any time. Will you please help us get support from the government for research. Will you please help us get the word out. Will you please help my son. Will you please prevent one of your relatives from having to go through our struggles. Thank you so much for helping us out. I am on Staten Island, New York and on September 20 we are having our 1ST Autism Awareness Fundraiser BBQ to help individual parents to cope. If any one would like to contribute, donate gifts, donate bumper stickers we can hand out that would be great. I will gladly send anyone information about this special day. Thanks, Marjorie

Apparently the bumber sticker you're complaining about, served the very purpose it was put there for. If you went home to Google anything related to autism, it obviously raised awareness in you. Thanks for proving it works!!!!

I think that you question is a good one. I'll try to answer it as best as I can. I don't like to advertise my autism, but when I am committing the unofficial crime of D.W.A. (Driving While Autistic), it helps to explain my ticks, stims, and quirks to any police officer who happens to be watching. An autistic person's contact with a curious police officer can quickly escalate to mace, pepper spray, taser, or maybe even deadly force. You are right,I'm not proud of a condition, but I want people to be aware because it might save MY LIFE.

The reason I "advirtise" my son's Autism is for pretty practical reasons. It doesn't take very much observation for the general public to notice that my son is different. Unfortunatly, they aren't going to notice all the great things about him that make him uniquely him (and he does have many great qualities unrelated to Autism) they are going to notice his Autistic behaviors and instead of labeling him "Autistic", sadly, they are going to label him "weird" or "bratty". I'd rather label him myself because the world is far less kind in their choice of labels. By raising awareness, people treat him with far more understanding and grace than is given to us when people don't know.

I suppose I don't really have much to add... It seems from the responses that most of the people who felt moved enough to comment were offended, rather than piqued or enlightened by the original article. I must say that my initial response to it was somewhat similar -- it struck me as being rather pessimistic and derogatory. Several other people have described what I feel are practical reasons for having these bumper stickers. There's only one other reason that springs to mind for me and that's because it's the reason why I'm currently looking for an autism bumper sticker.

I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in 2008 and although I don't expect to be pulled over any time soon, it would be nice for the officer(s) to know that I'm not drunk or drugged if I happen to be in an anxious state at the moment. I have been pulled over before and it's never been a problem, although there was once in Portland that I was briefly concerned about the possibility that they might think I was high because I was very upset and having difficulty keeping my hands away from my pockets, which they had to keep reminding me about. (I'm drug-free incidentally.)

I am currently working on a project to create jobs for people on the autistic spectrum. So yes, I absolutely want people to know that I too am on the spectrum, and I want people to strike up conversations with me about it. I think people are more likely to initiate conversations with me about autism if I have a bumper sticker and that gives me an opportunity to hand them one of my business cards and talk to them about the project. Speaking of which, this has given me the idea that perhaps I should design the sticker myself to prompt people to ask me precisely those questions, rather than general questions about autism.

Ms. Hara.... If you wrote the comment on bumper sticker's concerning Autism.. you are certainly in the wrong profession. Someone of this low mentality, and to flaunt it on the internet for all to see, is a hell of alot worse than a bumper sticker with the word AUTISM. Autism is caused, what is your excuse? Oh, by the way, must I say your hair style suites you to a tee. The picture shows you are hiding your face, all but your mouth. Is that the only part that works before your brain can think? You too may have had to much mercury..but don't worry, there is hope down the road.