(article excerpted from The Princeton Packet)

Ron and Sharon Oberleitner learned about autism firsthand. The Princeton couple′s youngest child, Robby, was diagnosed with the disorder five years ago at the age of 3. Before then, the Oberleitners′ only image of the disorder was the character played by Dustin Hoffman in the film "Rain Man." At the age of 15 months, their normal, happy toddler gradually stopped talking. "We started losing him, slowly," remembers Ms. Oberleitner. "His behavior became bizarre. He would hide under his crib when visitors arrived, clap his hands persistently at odd moments. He became hypersensitive to touch. He began to avoid eye contact until eventually there was no eye contact at all."

The Oberleitners, who were living in Texas at the time, began to ask questions. They requested tests in an effort to find out what was happening. The first thing they checked was their son′s hearing. A long series of tests followed. Although they ruled out a plethora of childhood diseases and disorders, they still had no explanation. One thing puzzled the Oberleitners. Robby showed a higher than normal level of mercury in his system. They still don′t know how it got there. Although they kept on asking questions, there didn′t seem to be any answers.

Then, one day, a psychologist gave Sharon Oberleitner a checklist for autism. There is no single test for autism but rather a roster of behavioral signs and symptoms, some or all of which might be present. Among these are: resistance to change in routine, difficulty in mixing with other children, inappropriate laughing or giggling, resistance to normal teaching methods, uneven gross or fine motor skills, crying tantrums and extreme distress for no apparent reason. The Oberleitners recognized many of the behaviors on the checklist. In 1997, the Oberleitners moved back home to New Jersey to be with their extended family. Mr. Oberleitner is from Franklin Park and Ms. Oberleitner is from South Brunswick. Both their parents live in South Brunswick. The couple is grateful for their large and accommodating family. "In the beginning," says Ms. Oberleitner, "my mother was the only one who was willing and able to baby-sit our son." Ms. Oberleitner′s twin sister is now also able to baby-sit when needed.

Taking care of a child with autism is demanding. In the early days, Robby slept just a few hours each day. There were bouts of screaming, yelling, running and inappropriate behaviors. "It took a year of working with a therapist on home visits three times a week at dinnertime to get Robby to be able to sit at the table and join in family meals," Ms. Oberleitner remembers. "It was an effort but it worked." Robby is now 8 years old; generally a happy child who is nonverbal and attends a program for autistic children at Indian Fields Elementary School in South Brunswick.

The Oberleitners stress that the support they receive from their family is invaluable. "Autism can be a tremendous burden on a family, both emotionally and financially," said Mr. Oberleitner. "Most families are unable to advocate for their needs because they are just too tired, it′s so demanding, the lack of sleep. Moving back to New Jersey to be near our family was the best thing we ever did." As the Oberleitners began to understand their child′s disorder, Mr. Oberleitner, who is a marketing executive in the health care field, realized that what was needed was the equivalent of an aggressive public relations campaign to acquaint people with autism. Five years ago, as a volunteer for a nonprofit biomedical research organization, Mr. Oberleitner attended an annual conference of neuroscientists and was amazed that the neuroscience community had no great focus on the disorder. "Autism had no presence at that meeting," he remembers. "While other disorders had advocate agencies offering research grants to scientists, autism seemed to be neglected, the Little Orphan Annie."

One reason for the low profile, he suggests, is that families dealing with autism are just too exhausted to advocate for their needs. From what he could see, autism was suffering from lack of public awareness, in his terms, bad marketing. Mr. Oberleitner began to think of using his skills as a marketing professional to aid in the fight against autism. Since then, Mr. Oberleitner has learned more about autism advocacy through organizations such as The New Jersey Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community, the Autism Society of America Foundation and the Montgomery-based National Alliance for Autism Research. Both the Oberleitners have been active in autism support. Ms. Oberleitner through COSAC, where she participated in the Parent Mentor Program and is now as a board member, and Mr. Oberleitner through Cure Autism Now.