Welcome to a Bright New World Welcome to a bright new world – where all children play and get along and are accepted for exactly who they are. Welcome to a bright new world – where we all accept and celebrate each other’s differences rather than excluding, fearing, and bullying those who appear different. Welcome to a bright new world – where we learn at an early age to listen to the good voice inside ourselves rather than following the loudest, most threatening voice.

Description by a Loving Sister
A little girl asked Dana to explain what autism is. Here is Dana’s answer: “I think a good way to explain autism might be to say that people with autism see the world a little differently. Sometimes their brains don’t process – or understand – information from the outside world in the same way as people without autism. Sometimes signals get confused in their minds. Because of that, it is not as easy for them to make friends, have conversations, or be social – but all the feelings they have inside are the same as everyone else’s. Because they can get frustrated at not understanding what is going on around them, sometimes they make noise or get scared and scream. Sometimes they also hear noises louder than other people or see lights brighter, and that can hurt them and be scary, too. Many people with autism also have great talents like music or painting or doing complicated math and science. Often they express their feelings (like Starabella) through their talent because they can’t always come up with the words. Some with the amazing skills in math and science use the different way they see the world to help make great scientific discoveries that help everyone. Even though it might be hard for them to make friends, they want to have friends like everyone else and they have a lot of love and beauty to give. Sometimes that means the rest of us have to find ways to help understand them and connect with them, just like those with autism are trying to find ways to communicate and connect with people who think in a more typical way.”

Welcome to a bright new world – where all children play and get along and are accepted for exactly who they are. Welcome to a bright new world – where we all accept and celebrate each other’s differences rather than excluding, fearing, and bullying those who appear different. Welcome to a bright new world – where we learn at an early age to listen to the good voice inside ourselves rather than following the loudest, most threatening voice.

My name is Dana Fialco. This bright new world I speak of was the childhood dream of my sister, Tara. Faced with autism and gifted musically, Tara used her beloved piano to express many of her thoughts and feelings through music. Often teased and picked on at school, Tara came home and wrote magical, touching melodies and lyrics about a far more accepting world than the world she had to face each day.