[Current Condition: I Loved The Feeling]

Alright, this has got to be the first time I have wrote anything on the likes of Autism. Before we begin, what is autism?

Overview
Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills.
Symptoms
Most parents of autistic children suspect that something is wrong by the time the child is 18 months old and seek help by the time the child is age 2. Children with autism typically have difficulties in:
Pretend play
Social interactions
Verbal and nonverbal communication
Some children with autism appear normal before age 1 or 2 and then suddenly "regress" and lose language or social skills they had previously gained. This is called the regressive type of autism.
People with autism may:
Be overly sensitive in sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste (for example, they may refuse to wear "itchy" clothes and become distressed if they are forced to wear the clothes)
Have unusual distress when routines are changed
Perform repeated body movements
Show unusual attachments to objects
The symptoms may vary from moderate to severe.
Communication problems may include:
Cannot start or maintain a social conversation
Communicates with gestures instead of words
Develops language slowly or not at all
Does not adjust gaze to look at objects that others are looking at
Does not refer to self correctly (for example, says "you want water" when the child means "I want water")
Does not point to direct others' attention to objects (occurs in the first 14 months of life)
Repeats words or memorized passages, such as commercials
Uses nonsense rhyming
Social interaction:
Does not make friends
Does not play interactive games
Is withdrawn
May not respond to eye contact or smiles, or may avoid eye contact
May treat others as if they are objects
Prefers to spend time alone, rather than with others
Shows a lack of empathy
Response to sensory information:
Does not startle at loud noises
Has heightened or low senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste
May find normal noises painful and hold hands over ears
May withdraw from physical contact because it is overstimulating or overwhelming
Rubs surfaces, mouths or licks objects
Seems to have a heightened or low response to pain
Play:
Doesn't imitate the actions of others
Prefers solitary or ritualistic play
Shows little pretend or imaginative play
Behaviors:
"Acts up" with intense tantrums
Gets stuck on a single topic or task (perseveration)
Has a short attention span
Has very narrow interests
Is overactive or very passive
Shows aggression to others or self
Shows a strong need for sameness
Uses repetitive body movements
Okay, with all that HOOPLA out of the way, let's get back to my story. So I met this boy named Logan during a chatroom session. He was accompanied by his family. After seeing this boy, within the first couple seconds, I knew something was different, and then came to the conclusion that he was autistic. His family members have left and I resulted in talking to him, and we had lots of fun, after we got through a couple of rough episodes, but I did not get upset, and I explained to him that we couldn't have fun unless he pays attention to me, and he respected me, and we laughed, and played. Seeing that smile on his face, just made my bad day become something to truly remember for a long time. I am so grateful to be given the opportunity like that, and I enjoyed his company so much, and his family said I did a great job with him, considering he lives close, they suggested that I be like a mentor to him. I asked Logan would he like that, and he shook his head yes.What a journey this will be :D