All of us have seen it at least once, sometimes more. Sometimes in real life, sometimes we read about it in books. I've seen it in movies: The Black Balloon, Rain Man, I Am Sam. All of those movies have some theme in common that you might've seen. Before you continue, I'll let you think about what it might be. I'll wait...OK you thought about it? Good. Ok, this theme they all have in common, is Autism, which is a lifelong neurological condition that (at the time of writing) affects 1 in 100 people around Australia.
The traits of Autism are some weird traits, like a dislike of large crowds, such as at a concert, or match at the MCG, and so on. Others conditions include restricted or repetitive behaviours, like people flapping their hands when they get excited, or walking on their toes. Then there's 2 that are particularly prominent within me; a dislike of loud noises, and the touch of certain textures.
Why do I say those traits are prominent with me? Because I have it. Big shocker to those who don't know me very well, isn't it? Well, that's me for you. I'm such a great actor, I had some fooled hiding my behaviours of Autism, all thanks to the years of speech therapy, and therapy in general. As I mentioned during the start of this post, the movies 'Rain Man', the 'Black Balloon' and 'I Am Sam' (2 out of 3 which I have copies of, and find to be amazing movies). In truth, those 'I don't Understand' posts I have on this website (if you scroll down a little past this one) are me explaining exactly what I don't understand. Partially due to my Autism, mostly because I just don't get it.
I'll let this short explain a little more about it. It introduced a new character to Sesame Street, who, like me, has Autism. But this is just the bare bones of it. There's much more to it. Anyway:
As you might've seen, sometimes, people with Autism need a break, because of something I call 'Sensual Overload', which is exactly what it sounds like; your senses get overwhelmed so much so, you do too. Not only that, but couple those previous factors with the fact that, well, you could call it being socially awkward, it helps make people with Autism (like me) be who they are. You take that away, and you just have a normal person. I also know that practically all people with Autism have a gift. It might be something as difficult as math, as common as working technology, like a computer, or laptop, or it might be something completely different, like the ability to act, or the ability to write really well.
If you're really lucky as well, you'll notice that people with autism have an eye for detail, spotting things you wouldn't normally see, until you take a closer look at it. I'm not like that most of the time, unfortunately. When it comes to some small mistakes though, I do see them, especially with writing. Another amazing trait that people with autism have, is the natural gift of technology; they can work a computer like it was nothing. That's why so many people with autism and Aspergers Syndrome are seen working in the IT industry, compared to anywhere else.
I've been taught over the years that being autistic doesn't mean your disabled; you're differently-abled. Think of an autistic person's mind like a computer. We're similar in some regards to everyone else, except our mind is wired differently. And the only way to help rewire it a little, with kids on the spectrum, is with early intervention. What I mean is to make sure you support kids on the spectrum as much as they need it, make sure they have funding for a teacher's aid, depending on what level of Autism they have, and never give your kids 'a good smack'. Even if they do deserve it, they don't understand what they did wrong. Instead, tell them what they did wrong, make them write what they shouldn't do, and take away something they like for a small to long period of time, depending on how naughty they've been. I had to learn that kind of thing the hard way, and that's why I'm so well behaved nowadays, instead of a terror to my family.
Part 2 Will be continued in a few days time
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