"He's Autistic."

So, I figure it'd be a good thing to explain a little more on what exactly Autism is. I know so much about it that I no longer have to use Google to help me out.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder. It's a mouthful to say, but breaking down the word can help you to understand its meaning. 'Neuro' refers to the nervous system, in this case the brain. Attach this to 'development' and you can figure that Autism can easily be defined as a disorder that effects the development of the brain. This explains to me why Braxton sometimes has trouble understanding simple things and why he is slow with some of his motor skills.
Sounds pretty basic so far, huh? However, Autism is a complex disorder. If it wasn't, we'd have a known cause of it and a cure for it by now. What makes it so complex (besides the fact that we know little about the cause) is the effects this disorder has on the brain.
I'm going to use Braxton as an example for this. When Braxton gets frustrated (and it's not hard to frustrate an Autistic child) he stims, or tenses up and moves his fingers in an uncontrable way. When this happens he often squeals jibberish in a high-pitched voice and rocks back and forth. Stimming is extremely common in Autistic children. It may look funny to other kids his age and gets people's attention in public, but it's just one thing associated with his Autism that is uncontrable.
He stares off in space with a glazed over look in mid-sentence. He runs off in a store when our backs are turned. He yells in pain everytime the air conditioner kicks on because it "hurts his ears." All these things that Braxton does can be explained with one sentence: "He's Autistic."
It hurts everytime we're out in public and people stare at him in curiousity. It's embarrassing even. However, Braxton doesn't care one bit; he still flashes a smile when he makes eye contact with them. And that's why he's such an amazing kid. I'll never be embarrassed when I wear my Autism Awarness necklace or drive around with my Autism magnent plastered on my car. I'll do it any day for Braxton.