We will be taking off the month of December with regard to the ETU Designer’s Journal to instead bring you a series of articles on Autism in support of the Midnight Charity Project. Even though this isn’t game related, we hope you’ll take a few moments to read it.

As we kick off our fundraising month to help Autism research I wanted to take the time to explain why we are doing this and how you can help. First I want to thank everyone who has purchased our products and shown us so much wonderful support since August of 2003. Our customers have been very loyal and every cent we have earned has been appreciated. While we have been very successful for a small indie publishing company, we still do it out of love of gaming. The greatly positive customer reviews we have received proves that we have managed to produce quality products.

We have wanted to give back for a while now, and finally we have the means to do so. We discussed several charities, all deserving of help, but finally settled on helping the Autism Research Institute and their initiative known as DAN (Defeat Autism Now!).

Autism is unfortunately becoming more and more common, and affecting more families around the world today. In the mid 1970s it was rated as only 5 of 10,000 births. Today the incidence of babies being born autistic has been reported to be 1 in every 150 kids. What is happening?

Well, I do agree that we are better at diagnosing autism than we were thirty years ago, but even given that statement, the incidence of autistic children is growing at an astounding rate. Worse, there seems to be no central, common cause though many have developed various theories. I’ve read about too many metals in the bloodstream, gluten/casein proteins, inoculations, chemical overloads, and many others. The truth is, it may be a combination of all these things or it may be that there are many different causes, but the disability looks the same.

What is Autism? It is a “severe developmental disorder that begins at birth or within the first two-and-a-half years of life. Most autistic children are perfectly normal in appearance, but spend their time engaged in puzzling and disturbing behaviors which are markedly different from those of typical children. Less severe cases may be diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) or with Asperger’s Syndrome (these children typically have normal speech, but they have many "autistic" social and behavioral problems)” [www.autism.com].

Many authorities believe it is part of a spectrum of disorders that actually range from Attention Deficit Disorders to Severe Autistic Disorders. Some autistic children are very high performing and look to be “normal” though upon speaking to them you may notice something that is just not quite right. There are many signs that could indicate a child has autistic tendencies that parents should look for, and these should be taken together, not individually, as every child develops at different rates and times. If you see a pattern of these behaviors in your child, see a doctor immediately, as early diagnosis and treatment can greatly affect the life of the person. Signs include not playing age appropriate games-such as peekabo-with others, not being able to look directly into the eyes of another, not reacting when spoken to, may not learn age appropriate words but rely on hand gestures, may seem immature for age, may not be able to play or show interest in playing with other children, may have bizarre or repetitive behaviors such as hand flapping or rocking back and forth, and more [see www.autism.com for more information].

How can you help? We are sponsoring a series of fund raising events, collectively called the Midnight Charity Project. All proceeds of this year’s event are going to the Autism Research Institute (ARI). More than 80 cents per dollar donated to ARI goes directly to programs and research projects. These doctors and scientists are exploring new ways of combating this disability, and are providing great help to parents who have just learned that their child is autistic or has PDD (pervasive developmental disorder).

I’m sure if you know many families with young children, you know of at least one child who has autism. It is an epidemic that affects us all, and as the cause is not known, it could personally affect you or your family.

I know. See, my youngest son is autistic. Please help us Defeat Autism Now!