My younger son, the boy on the bottom, has autism. He was diagnosed at the age of two, and is currently attending a special class for children with autism. He is the reason I have created this website.

So often, people misinterpret my son's behavior because you can't see anything wrong with him, and that's why it's so important to me to help spread autism awareness. You can tell someone in a wheelchair is disabled, but when you look at the pictures here, all you see are cute little boys.

Most of the items I carry come from manufacturers who donate a portion of the proceeds to the Autism Society of America. For custom items that I have created (such as the handout cards and anything bearing the Autism Gear phrase "AUTISM - Would you know if you saw it?"^TM), a portion of the sale price is donated directly to autism related charities (please see our FAQ page for a list of donations made to date). Earned income goes toward my son's speech therapy and to help support these two beautiful boys. This has become especially important since our household was shattered by divorce, as is sadly so common among families of children with autism (I have seen the divorce rate reported to be as high as 85%--a statistic I had hoped would never apply to us). Your purchases here make all the difference in the lives of these two boys.

Autism Gear is not owned by any larger company. I personally handle everything, from website and product design right down to packaging your order, as professionally as possible. I do all I can to make your experience here a pleasant one, and that's probably why so many people come back again and again, and share this site with their friends. I'm not a corporation looking to make a buck on the latest world tragedy--I'm a mom dealing with autism, just like you, and doing what I can to help all of us.

The items here might be small ways to educate people, but they are effective. When I wear my AUTISM t-shirt, it creates a "teaching moment," capturing people's attention just long enough for them to learn a little about autism. Then the next time they see a child in the midst of a meltdown, perhaps they'll stop and think before rushing to judgment.

Thank you for stopping by, and for helping to spread the word.