Acceptance and understanding of autism

Acceptance and understanding of autism

Autism is not a disease or an entity. It is not something we need to eradicate in order to eradicate. Rather, it is a way of being, an umbrella term to describe how one relates (or not) to the world. If we view autism as an entity, a “thing,” then this leads us to develop programs that attempt to transform the person into something they are not, nor will, or ever can be. It causes us to try to change the person through violence, coercion and manipulation.

Behavioralism tried to modify the person, the existential approach tried more to understand. How the autistic person behaves should be viewed as a form of communication, perhaps the only form of communication they may possess, to describe their joys, sorrows, or sufferings. The world of the autistic person is often misunderstood, one can see the person flapping their arms and see this as “weird” and in need of suppression. But if we look inward and examine the meaning of this action, we may find that it is telling us something that indicates how that person is feeling. This is one of the few opportunities to share their experiences.

I met with a 5 year old autistic boy who was nonverbal. He came into the office and banged his hands on the computer keyboard. The secretary's immediate reaction was to quell this behavior and make it go away. Instead I told her to let him go. We had a ball pit in the middle of the room, and I told the boy that if he wanted to keep hitting the keyboard, I might have to pick him up and throw him into the ball pit. He continued and I picked him up and threw him in. He got out of the ball pit and went back to the keyboard. This time he didn't hit the keyboard, but reached for it and then fell back into my arms so I could throw him into the ball pit. He giggled and laughed and then spoke the words, “Do it again.” I was amazed. The relationship was the focus of this interaction and an emotional connection was made. I entered his world and he reciprocated, entering mine.

I worked with an autistic child who was blind and had paralysis in his legs. When he was frustrated and overwhelmed, he sometimes needed a helmet because he would hit his head. Many would reject any attempt to engage with him, believing him to be “too handicapped” or “too disturbing.” But again, work was done to assess his surroundings and alleviate the things that were causing distress and overwhelm. And despite his challenges and differences, emotional connections could be made with him. I let him take the lead and he would sometimes grab my hand and lead me around his house. Despite his blindness, he knew his surroundings by touch. He enjoyed listening to music and had a game where he covered himself with blankets and giggled. These were important emotional connections that should not be ignored.

A child with cerebral palsy may be autistic, a child experiencing conditions of sensory deprivation may be autistic, a child exposed to a toxin may be autistic. Autism is just a term we want to use to label how a person has developed and how they relate to the world differently. If I'm an American and I travel to a foreign country and don't know anything about the culture or language, I have to fight. If I'm an American and I'm traveling to a foreign country, but I've learned about the language and culture, it becomes a lot easier. This is the direction in which I believe programs to support autistic individuals should be directed. Not to change the person, but to help them be themselves while understanding and being able to navigate the “mainstream.”

Inspired by Dan Edmunds