General Hospital News: Austin Rocket Sweda confirms he is autistic

General Hospital: Easton Sweda updates his fans

Easton Rocket Sweda is the adorable young man who now has the role of Leo Falconeri on General Hospital. It was recently confirmed onscreen that Leo's behavior is because he is on the autism spectrum and some viewers suspected that his portrayer might be dealing with the same disorder. Parents and grandparents of autistic children shared on social media that Sweda's personality and portrayal of Leo seemed very much like their loved ones who have been diagnosed as being autistic.

Sweda shared a video where he said that he has a great life and that autistic kids are cool and wished everyone a Happy New Year. General Hospital is to be commended for using an actor who is on the autism spectrum rather than hiring someone who has to do research in order to tackle the character.

Austin Sweda's portraying of Leo is spot on

There is no one look to autism and all children diagnosed with the disorder do not operate in an identical manner. Having said that some characteristics are noticeable when you observe more than one autistic child displaying similarities. Leo being shy and sitting quietly, playing with his fidget spinner as well as the look of innocence in Rocket's eyes reminded me of a young man in my family who is being diagnosed to find out if he is on the spectrum. I also wondered as did many other General Hospital viewers if Sweda might be on the spectrum.

Autism: Is may not be what you think it is

There are parents whose children are on the high end of the spectrum and cannot function at all. The first time I saw an autistic child it was on a televisoin program and he was in a room and now aware of those around him, He was not able to communicate in any way and this was heartbreaking to watch.

I saw a little boy recently in a store who did not respond to people speaking to him or notice his sister trying to play with him. He was alone in his own little world and I heard his mother tell another customer that he was autistic. There are also children with autism who are high functioning and intelligent and many have a knack for remembering great detail.

This will come in handy for Rocket in recalling his lines if he continues to pursue acting. One of my sons used to teach children with autism and he was fascinated with how they could recite lines from movies or recall dates and times from decades ago.

Now that Sweda has shared his truth perhaps parents of other autistic children might begin finding out what their child's special talent is and helping them find their purpose. The young man in my family is 10 and can fix things around the house with great ease. He is also into jazz and modern dance and does pretty well with it.

General Hospital gives hope for the future

General Hospital is to be commended for including the autism storyline because for many households autism is a reality. Earlier in 2021, a study was done that reported that 1 out of 44 children in the US have been diagnosed as having autism and boys are 4 times more likely than girls are to have the disorder.

Austin Rocket Sweda is an inspiration to all parents of autistic children that there is hope for their future. This increased awareness might bring more attention to the subject and new ways to help parents whose children are on the highly nonfunctioning end. Now that Leo has officially been diagnosed General Hospital viewers will be eager to see how his saga plays out.