Advocate. This is a title I thought I'd never hold. My other titles are Wife, Mother, Friend, Chauffeur, Cook, Maid and Chief Boo-boo Fixer. And now Volunteer, Advocate, President.

This year I joined the Autism Society of America and the Panhandle Autism Society (PAS). I volunteered my time in April to the Walk for Autism Awareness held in Coeur d'Alene's Riverstone Park. I became a Board member of PAS. I then became its Secretary and now I am the President of PAS. I thought I would start small by volunteering my time to a worthy cause and instead I am now heading its efforts.

Why share this and why now? First, I joined out of pure selfish motives. Our son Andrew was diagnosed with autism (ASD) officially in February 2010. Although like most parents who have a child on the "spectrum," we always knew his development was delayed and different. We have an older son and as a parent you always compare one to the other, so it became very clear we had to make the agonizing step. The one where we admitted to ourselves he had autism and then digging in and doing everything in our power to find the answers; the best course of action to follow.

On this journey he has progressed steadily due in part to the outstanding efforts of his doctors, therapists, grandparents, his teachers at school (he attends kindergarten at Fernan, and began his school days in the developmental preschool there). In short, others helped us navigate this often confusing and scary world of autism and I now have channeled my efforts into creating awareness, education and support for other families affected. That's what PAS does and I wanted to make a difference.

The numbers of children diagnosed with autism are increasing. It now stands at 1 in 110, with boys being affected at the rate of 1 in 70. The Autism Society and PAS do not subscribe to any one treatment, cause or cure. We help by providing information, education, awareness and support so parents and caregivers are given all the options in order to make the best possible choice in their child(s) or loved ones treatment. Our mission is as follows: "Panhandle Autism Society supports individuals with an autism spectrum disorder and their families in Idaho's five northern counties through education and enrichment opportunities." We offer training courses for parents and professionals and we currently offer an information and referral service, support groups for teens with Asperger's, and for parents of children on the spectrum. We hope to do more in the future. We also have our annual Walk for Autism Awareness in April 2012 and are looking for sponsors.

Right now, as with most of our fellow non-profits both locally and nationally, we are challenged financially. And the competition for grants is getting tougher. Most philanthropic foundations are being affected by this tough economy as well. We are in the process of reorganizing PAS in order to reach more members of the community affected by autism. Unfortunately families often feel isolated and are sometimes too afraid (or too tired) to reach out for help, or even know where to begin. After first receiving the diagnosis, and even years later, it is a heartbreaking time for many families. Caring for someone with autism is exhausting, physically, emotionally and financially.

Autism is a misunderstood disability and it affects each child drastically different. Children are often labeled unfairly and treated poorly. Part of this problem can be rectified by more awareness. More students on the spectrum are being included in the mainstream curriculum - which is positive step, yet no explanation is given to "typical" students as to why little Johnny repeats himself or flaps his arms or covers his ears when someone is too loud or maybe stands too close to him and he can't process social cues like others can. A cycle begins of alienation and bullying due to lack of awareness efforts and funding.

PAS is a nonprofit and a volunteer based organization. It has a Board of Directors which meets monthly to guide the direction of PAS. We want to do more; we need to do more. This is why in honor of Make a Difference Day, Oct. 22, I have asked the community at large to make a small donation to our organization. It doesn't have to be big. We welcome any amount. We know you've been asked many times before from other worthwhile organizations and causes to part with your hard earned money. If you can, please send a donation to: Panhandle Autism Society, P.O. Box 3950, Cd'A, ID 83816.

If you wish to know more about us, please visit our website: www.panhandleautismsociety.com or the national Autism Society of America at www.autism-society.org.

Debra Stewart is president of the Panhandle Autism Society; panhandleautismsociety@yahoo.com