Autism was never something that I would have thought about and felt a sense of passion. It was never an issue that I felt so strongly about that I wanted to make a change. Like most of us, I had preconceived ideas about what autistic children looked like an acted like. I remember meeting an adult with autism and actually feeling discomfort; it was as if he was not even human. It’s sad that as a society we feel uncomfortable when faced with differences. It wasn't until after becoming a behavior specialist that these stereotypical views broke down.
I was recently talking to a close friend of mine who said “He doesn’t look autistic,” when shown a picture of a little boy I work with. I had to stop and think for a moment about what she meant by this. She then admitted to confusing autism with Down syndrome. It is in moments like this when I feel that passion to help people like my friend recognize the issues surrounding autism. When I am faced with people like this, I want to show them that there is no “typical” autistic child. All children with autism are affected in different ways, and while there are certain behaviors that characterize autism, there is no specific physical attributes making it obvious that a child has autism.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Autistic vs. Typically Developing
Is there really anyway to tell a person is autistic simply from looking at them? Many people feel like they can immediately tell someone has a developmental disability just by looking at them. So let's see...out of the three children which one is typically developing?...
Published Piece
I have been trying very hard to get a piece of writing published in a health related publication. I have decided to send it out to Choices Magazine which is a publication that is sent out to all households that are covered by Blue Cross/ Blue Shield of Rhode Island. I put together a bunch of information, quotes, and stories that I have relating to autism in order to come up with something that might be appropriate for publishing. Here's what I came up with...
I watched him run over to the teacher with a huge smile. He was overjoyed to be here today. “Come here, Kristen!” he yelled. I quickly ran over to his side, as he grabbed my hand and waited in excitement. He began waving his arms, a little something he likes to do when he is flushed with emotion. The other children stood around pushing their way to see. I heard two of the little girls yelling at each other, “It’s my turn!” I could tell he wanted to bust through this circle of little kids and see what the teacher had hiding in her giant box, but he knew to wait. He kept looking in my direction, then at the box, then back at me again. One of the children came up behind him and grabbed a lock of his hair. I’m sure you could imagine my initial reaction; I braced myself for a screaming child. Instead, he turned around and politely said, “No thank you!” I had to laugh to myself because I know if someone pulled my hair when I was younger, I might have had a different reaction than a simple “No, thank you.” As the teacher revealed the animal, I watched the other children jumping over one another to get a turn. He just sat there waiting. I was amazed as I watched him pet the chinchilla. He took notice to the tiniest of details; the color of the fur, the little claws. He asked questions about what he eats and where he lives. As I looked around the room at all the other children pushing their way in, not sharing, and yelling at one another, I thought to myself, “Who’s the ‘normal’ children in this group?
This is a question that seems to linger over the heads of families with autistic children. As a society, we seem to have preconceived ideas on what the “typical” autistic child looks like and acts like. But is it actually possible to categorize these individuals into such a broad group? All children with autism are affected by the disorder in different ways. The degrees of autism vary greatly from child to child. The lack of public awareness is the one thing holding us back from progressing and accepting these individuals for who they are.
A woman with an autistic child once told me, “I feel like people can be so ignorant. When I bring my child to the doctor’s office, of course he can’t sit still. He likes to flick the light switches and investigate everything in the waiting room. To me, this is typical child behavior, but then I see the looks. The parents look at me like ‘Man, control your child.’ The thing is, they have no idea. They judge without anything to back it up.”
It is statements like this that bring into perspective the gravity of the situation; the complete absence of awareness and acceptance. It is important that we improve the lives of those with autism, while also helping those who do not understand it take on a different view. Those who do not have children with autism, or do not even know someone with autism may find it difficult to empathize with others. By allowing these so-called “outsiders” to understand the issues, a sense of awareness can be achieved.
Autism is growing approximately 15 percent each year. Along with this, autism affects about 1 in every 100 births; and with this, boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the United States, and more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined. When our culture is faced with something as serious as the growing number of children with autism, they immediately decide that the only route to take is finding a way to cure it. What we don’t realize is that the government spends over $35 billion annually on research, while there is yet to be a finding for a cure. Why not put some of this money towards educating those who know nothing about the disorder?
It is important that we begin to recognize what these children and their families go through on a day-to-day basis. With days filled with early intervention services, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, these children are faced with constant mountains to climb. However, they continue to laugh hard and show incredible love and affection. It is through these children and adults with autism that we can learn to appreciate the smaller things in life.
Temple Grandin, Ph.D., author of 6 best sellers and one of the most well-known women with autism once said, “If I could snap my fingers and be non-autistic, I would not - because then I wouldn't be me. Autism is part of who I am."
I watched him run over to the teacher with a huge smile. He was overjoyed to be here today. “Come here, Kristen!” he yelled. I quickly ran over to his side, as he grabbed my hand and waited in excitement. He began waving his arms, a little something he likes to do when he is flushed with emotion. The other children stood around pushing their way to see. I heard two of the little girls yelling at each other, “It’s my turn!” I could tell he wanted to bust through this circle of little kids and see what the teacher had hiding in her giant box, but he knew to wait. He kept looking in my direction, then at the box, then back at me again. One of the children came up behind him and grabbed a lock of his hair. I’m sure you could imagine my initial reaction; I braced myself for a screaming child. Instead, he turned around and politely said, “No thank you!” I had to laugh to myself because I know if someone pulled my hair when I was younger, I might have had a different reaction than a simple “No, thank you.” As the teacher revealed the animal, I watched the other children jumping over one another to get a turn. He just sat there waiting. I was amazed as I watched him pet the chinchilla. He took notice to the tiniest of details; the color of the fur, the little claws. He asked questions about what he eats and where he lives. As I looked around the room at all the other children pushing their way in, not sharing, and yelling at one another, I thought to myself, “Who’s the ‘normal’ children in this group?
This is a question that seems to linger over the heads of families with autistic children. As a society, we seem to have preconceived ideas on what the “typical” autistic child looks like and acts like. But is it actually possible to categorize these individuals into such a broad group? All children with autism are affected by the disorder in different ways. The degrees of autism vary greatly from child to child. The lack of public awareness is the one thing holding us back from progressing and accepting these individuals for who they are.
A woman with an autistic child once told me, “I feel like people can be so ignorant. When I bring my child to the doctor’s office, of course he can’t sit still. He likes to flick the light switches and investigate everything in the waiting room. To me, this is typical child behavior, but then I see the looks. The parents look at me like ‘Man, control your child.’ The thing is, they have no idea. They judge without anything to back it up.”
It is statements like this that bring into perspective the gravity of the situation; the complete absence of awareness and acceptance. It is important that we improve the lives of those with autism, while also helping those who do not understand it take on a different view. Those who do not have children with autism, or do not even know someone with autism may find it difficult to empathize with others. By allowing these so-called “outsiders” to understand the issues, a sense of awareness can be achieved.
Autism is growing approximately 15 percent each year. Along with this, autism affects about 1 in every 100 births; and with this, boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the United States, and more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined. When our culture is faced with something as serious as the growing number of children with autism, they immediately decide that the only route to take is finding a way to cure it. What we don’t realize is that the government spends over $35 billion annually on research, while there is yet to be a finding for a cure. Why not put some of this money towards educating those who know nothing about the disorder?
It is important that we begin to recognize what these children and their families go through on a day-to-day basis. With days filled with early intervention services, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, these children are faced with constant mountains to climb. However, they continue to laugh hard and show incredible love and affection. It is through these children and adults with autism that we can learn to appreciate the smaller things in life.
Temple Grandin, Ph.D., author of 6 best sellers and one of the most well-known women with autism once said, “If I could snap my fingers and be non-autistic, I would not - because then I wouldn't be me. Autism is part of who I am."
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