http://dustinnunn.com/ About Dustin
Hi, my name is Dustin Nunn and I am 22 years old. I was born October 28, 1988 and I love drawing cartoons. Ever since I was 4 years old, I started drawing cartoons. I have been drawing for over 18 years, and yet I still draw. I am the creator of the comic strip series, “Dustin & Darling” and “Speed Phreak & Friends”. I am also creating the upcoming comic strip series, “The Adventures of Santa Clause & His Holiday Friends”. The Dustin & Darling Characters are based on my friends and family and the Speed Phreak characters are not based on anybody.
When I was born, not only was I born with a talented gift of drawing, I was born with autism and I am a slow learner at things. I like playing video games, surf around on YouTube, and spend time with family and friends. I don’t play video games as much because I like to stick with my artwork.
About The Book
An amusing pack of comic strips, Dustin and his dog, Darling, will bring us flashes of laughter and fun as they introduce more exciting and lovable characters that would surely amuse us
with their unique characteristics.
Let us meet some of them now like Speed Phreak, the speedy superhero who can run as fast as the speed of sound. He has an evil twin brother, Evil Phreak, who will later escape from cartoon world to the real world. Will he be sent back to his sketchbook world?
Whenever there is a crime, Speed Phreak magically comes out of a sketchbook and saves the day. But he is not the only superhero in this comic book, you will also come to get to know a pirate, a biker, a secret agent, and a sniper. These four other heroes will help Speed Phreak in his battles against the villains. These characters can come out of the sketchbook whenever they want.
But, how did the speedy superhero get his name Speed Phreak? It was when he saved the day for the first time. The people in the town of Marietta, Ohio were stunned by his super-fast speed and fighting moves. What will happen after the crimes are over? Where will they go?
Dustin & Darling are definitely cool, fun and witty and they are inviting us to join Speed Phreak, S.A.M., Mystery Rider, “Dinghy” the Pirate, and the Marietta Sniper as they fight crime, evil and save Marietta from Evil Phreak and his men.
ISBN13 (TP) 978-1-4415-1253-6
ISBN13 (HB) 978-1-4415-1254-3
Autism Info
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Definitions
Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder which affects social and communication skills and, to a greater or lesser degree, motor and language skills. It is such a broad diagnosis that it can include people with high IQs and mental retardation — and people with autism can be chatty or silent, affectionate or cold, methodical or disorganized. So, what exactly is an autism spectrum disorder? These articles are a good place to get the basics:
Definition: Asperger Syndrome:
Rediscovered as a diagnosis in the 1980′s, Asperger Syndrome is at the high end of the autism spectrum. Individuals with Asperger Syndrome may be very bright and capable, but may also have serious difficulties with social interaction, or have unusually low tolerance for loud noise, bright lights, crowds, etc. Because it is relatively mild, Asperger Syndrome is often diagnosed in older children and even adults. It is sometimes called the “Little Professor Syndrome” or “Geek Syndrome.”
Who is at Greatest Risk of Autism?
As the media pick up more and more stories about autism, parents are becoming increasingly concerned about their young children. Might their idiosyncrasies be signs of autism? Autism is now diagnosed in 1 out of 150 American children, and some people believe the numbers may be under-reported.
Who is at greatest risk? The bottom line is that boys are at much higher risk than girls, and that boys from families in which at least one other person is autistic are at higher risk of autism. If one identical twin is autistic, his twin is extremely likely to also be autistic (though the autism may present quite differently).
What Are Some of the Risk Factors for Autism?
Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will have autism (some sources cite 1 out of 166 births). Males are four times more likely to be autistic than females; the reason for this has not been determined. Autism does seem to run in families, but it is not contagious. Twins are more likely than other relatives to share autism, and identical twins are extremely likely to share autism (though it may present quite differently in different children).
There are no clear indications that children with food allergies, digestive issues, seizure disorders, sleep disorders, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, speech apraxia or sensory integration dysfunction are more likely than other children to be autistic. There is, however, a large community of people who believe that one or more of these biological issues may lie at the root of some cases of autism. Certainly it is the case that autistic people are more likely than others to have these additional physical conditions.
Some other possible risk factors for autism include:
Advanced age of parents
Spontaneous genetic mutations with no known cause
Low birth weight and premature birth
Is Autism Genetic?
We know for sure that autism runs in families. Siblings of autistic people are more likely to be autistic, and twins are extremely likely to share autistic traits. This means there is almost certainly a genetic component to autism.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that a single gene is responsible, or that inherited genes are the only risk factor for autism. In many cases, genetic anomalies associated with autism are not inherited, but are considered to be “spontaneous mutations.” In addition, many researchers believe that a combination of several genetic differences, PLUS some form of environmental “insult,” may lead to autism.
What Do Autistic People Have in Common?
While people with autism may be different from one other, they do have certain challenges and traits in common. Of course, it’s always possible that you’ll meet an autistic person who doesn’t fit the mold. Overall, autism implies an impaired ability to read and manage social cues. Autistic people are unlikely to be the life of the party, though they may well be quite talented in such areas as engineering, technology and music. It’s important to know that stereotypes of autistic people as “idiot savants” (such as the character presented by Dustin Hoffman in the movie “Rainman”) may represent a few unusual individuals, but these are by no means typical of all people on the autism spectrum.
http://dustinnunn.com/
http://www.dustinanddarling.com/
