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From March 15 AutismConnect

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Now for those human-interest stories I mentioned. We meet a

63-year-old autistic man, Henry Wyatt, was is one of the many

reluctantly forced to leave New Orleans in the wake of the

destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina. He now lives in Houston and

longs to return home.

Henry's only intention in leaving his flooded New Orleans house had

been to get help for his two dogs, Baby and Bubba. Instead, he was

helicopter-lifted to a causeway where a woman from andria,

Louisiana, noticed he was hyper and agitated and might stir up

problems with other evacuees - and told him to stick with her group.

" In a way, he's a lot like Rain Man, " said his cousin, Cleo Ann

Wainwright. " He can read a book, tell you everything you want to

know. But as far as simple things, he can't do it. "

Spare a thought for young Zack Dahlsten in Dakota City, Iowa.

Not just because he has attention-deficit disorder, autism, mental

retardation and numerous other conditions. It looks like he may lose

pet pot-bellied pig, Sid, for the second time. Sid was forced out of

Dakota City because of laws prohibiting livestock from being kept

within the city limits, but was allowed back in so it ca be treated

for pneumonia. Now now that Sid is healthy, however, the city wants

him to go.

Carr, an assistant professor and swine consultant at Iowa State

University, said he had witnessed the interaction between Sid and

Zack.

" One of the few joys Zack has in his life is relating to an animal, "

said Carr. " Sid won't jump up, he'll just sit there. He's also been

trained to roll over, sit and beg. The pig is a good companion for

Zack. "

Then there is Leonardo, a 12-year-old boy with

Asperger's syndrome confidently spelled his way to first place at the

fourth annual Daily Star regional spelling bee on March 4 in

stown, New York.

" This is one of the proudest moments of my life, " said after

the bee finished.

His mother, Kate, said she had home-schooled before she and

her husband, Jim, moved their family to the area.

For winning the bee, will receive an all-expenses-paid trip

to the national bee, a $100 U.S. savings bond, a dictionary, and a

gift certificate to amazon.com.

Finally a sad piece of news: Wawro, one of the world's

most famous autistic savants, has died at the age of 53. ,

from Scotland, earned acclaim for his landscapes and seascapes

created through the unusual medium of wax oil crayons. He produced

highly detailed and dramatic images of intense depth and colour, and

his work was admired and owned by people who would not consider

themselves art collectors.

was said to be one of only 25 recognised prodigious savants

in the world. When he was three years old, his parents were told he

was " moderately to severely retarded. " His autistic behaviour was

characterised by an obsession for sameness, withdrawal, walking in

circles, endlessly spinning objects and a preoccupation with the

piano, striking a single key for hours at a time.

Wawro had his first exhibition in Edinburgh when he was 17. In all,

he sold more than 1,000 pictures in some 100 exhibitions.

Like other savants, Wawro possessed a phenomenal memory, recalling

where he drew each picture and dating it precisely in his mind. Using

no models, he drew from images seen only once.

Although he had perfect recall, he often added his own touches to the

images. He was particularly fascinated by light, and the tones he

used to capture light and shadows are considered masterly.

In 1983, the American autism expert, Dr ce Becker, produced an

award-winning documentary film about Wawro's life and art, With Eyes

Wide Open. Dr Becker also produced A Real Rainman, a video profile of

him.