We’ve all heard about the new bright-eyed autistic muppet, Julia, first featured on Sesame Street on April 10 from Facebook, the news and friends.
But, do we all really know what autism is? Here’s my personal anecdote of my family’s experience with autism:
With my sisters, I played games like hide-and-seek and play school with them. Likewise, with my brother, I would also try to play school and hide-and-seek with him. But, it was not the same.
My brother never looked at me, never spoke to me, and never played with me. He just kept staring off into space. It was at this time that I was too young to understand why my brother acted this way. Even my mom began to worry about his odd behavior.
After taking my brother, at the age of three, to a specialized doctor, my mom came back home and broke the news to my siblings and I, “Your brother is diagnosed with autism.”
As we looked at each other puzzled, I asked, “What is autism?”
“It just means that your brother is slower than others when it comes to speaking and socializing. Your brother needs therapy in order to speak and walk properly. He will be seeing a teacher from now on at home.”
After a full year of therapy, my brother spoke and walked normally. Today, my brother is a happy twelve-year-old who is in sixth grade. He speaks like any other twelve-year-old boy you would encounter. Over the past years, his improvements could not have made me any prouder.
When we first hear the term “autism” or “autistic”, we tend to think of someone who processes ideas or develops at a slower level, remains antisocial, and acts retarded. But, these assumptions are all wrong.
Autism or autism spectrum disorder is a diagnosis in which a person has difficulty communicating and socializing. However, there isn’t just one type of autism. In fact, there is a whole spectrum that defines how severe a person’s autism can be.
People who are autistic generally behave normal like us. However, we tend to alienate them from our social circles, deeming them as someone different, possibly special even. But, this stigma should end. We should learn how to understand what autism is and raise awareness of this condition that continues to impact more and more children each year.
Coming from personal experience, my brother may not have the same mental state as a eleven-year-old and may forever be stuck with the mind of a seven-year-old. But, he is still a friendly child who draws, dances, and plays with dominoes like any other seven-year-old. And he deserves to be treated equally as others. All autistic children deserve this.
So, if you will take a stand with autistic children this Autism Awareness Month, wear blue or attend an autism awareness walk to show your support!
(Also, for more insight into the life of an autistic child, check out this video I created with a group of friends in high school.)