It was a beautiful day on the playground at school, and Vivian couldn't wait to start playing with her classmates.

She saw her friends and ran over to them. Everyone was laughing and playing. Then they started yelling, "You're It!"

"No, you're it!"

Vivian loved to play tag.

When she saw Alicia, the little girl in their class who always had a grown-up sitting beside her, Vivian stopped. I wonder if we should ask her to play with us, she thought.

Vivian went up to Mrs. H., Alicia's helper, and asked, "Why doesn't Alicia talk?"

Mrs. H. turned to her, smiled, and said, "Well, Vivian, it's because Alicia has autism. She's autistic."

"Alicia is artistic! Wow, that's great, but I never saw her draw anything," Vivian said.

Mrs. H. giggled and said, "No, not artistic — autistic."

Vivian was puzzled.

"Would you like me to try to explain it to you?" Mrs. H. asked.

Vivian nodded quickly and said, "Uh-huh."

Mrs. H. continued. "Being autistic means that your brain thinks and responds differently. The brain sends a signal to the mouth to speak, but for Alicia, that signal doesn't get there. Some autistic people can speak, and some cannot."

"Does that help you understand a little better?" asked Mrs. H.

"Yes, it does, a little," Vivian said, "but how did she become autistic?"