Political Quotes

“last night while most American children donned their costumes to celebrate Halloween, Bonnie and Willis Flick, the children pictured here, were able to go trick-or-treating only as a result of much preparation by their mother, Patience. Bonnie and Willis are superheroes, not because they were dressed as wizards, but because of the efforts that they make each and every day in trying to fit into our world. It is difficult for Bonnie and Willis to make sense of our overwhelming and challenging environment because they have a neurological disease called autism. Autism affects the development of the brain, especially in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. As a result, it is difficult for Bonnie and Willis to play with friends or to form relationships that most 11- and 13-year-olds have. Autism affects one out of every 500 individuals, and it is a spectrum disorder, which means that it manifests itself in different ways. For example, Bonnie can read and is able to go to a special school called the Learning Experience in Miami. She is a more high-functioning autistic child. But her brother, Willis, on the other hand, is mostly nonverbal. Talking for him is in small, almost guttural sounds that come as a result of hard work. Expressing emotions such as joy, anger, and frustration are extremely difficult for Willis. However, Bonnie and Willis are a part of our world, not a world apart, as this tee shirt reads.”