Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Cade's Newspaper Article on Autism

I am so proud of Cade. He was assigned a research project in his ELA class this year and chose to write an article for the school newspaper about autism. He wanted to share it for the world to see. Here it is: 


The Reality of Autism

If you have ever been on the internet then you may have seen someone talk about Autism Spectrum Disorder. Saying stuff like “Vaccines cause autism, it will make your kids stupid,” “Autism makes you stupid and unable to do anything in life.” “Autism makes you worthless.''Countless truthful sources like the CDC and Autism Society show what Autism spectrum disorder is. Many people do not know what autism is. According to a survey most people have little to no idea what autism is. Some examples include Landis Pittman who, when asked about autism, responded with “Is it like a disease or like something you're born with an extra chromosome that like makes you super smart but you have a hard time expressing it.”

To his credit, this is kind of right. Autism is different for everyone affected with it, for some it may affect their motor skills to a degree or leave them unable to control it. With others it may take them longer to grasp basic things like social skills but are extremely gifted in academics. Every person with autism is affected in a unique way that is never replicated in someone else. There are infinite ways Autism can affect people, which is why it's called Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism is just a nickname.

Troy Schmitz has spent the last 12 years of his life working as a Special Education teacher to help kids on the Spectrum. He is very passionate about it. “Autism to me is just a different way to view the world. Not better, not worse...just different. Sometimes these differences cause confusion or conflict. I am here to try and help students make sense of these moments.” He is very successful at helping the kids he teaches.

There are many misconceptions and confusion on what Autism is due to false information from places like social media, but most of the misinformation comes from the Autism Speaks organization, which sadly is the main place people go too to look for info on Autism. Autism Speaks is made up of people with little to no understanding of what autism is. It's run completely by people without autism. And despite what some people say, they do nothing to help the research of Autism. One place with reliable research that knows what they're doing is the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, one of the leaders in research of the human body. They are founded by the government and most research on Autism and various other disorders and diseases come from them. 

According to the Autism Society organization, “many people associate autism only with kids or hold a narrow stereotype of how a person with autism behaves. And even within the autism community, many parents and professionals of people on the spectrum have beliefs and goals that some people with autism might be offended by – and vice versa.” Many people don't know what autism is and how it affects a person, unless they have experience with it in their lives. Michaela Johnson, an ELA teacher at Running Brushy Middle School, has a younger brother who is Autistic and described challenges he faced with life in general he faced trouble in school being misunderstood in his Special Education Program, like most places people don't understand what autism does to a person. He was overwhelmed with all the noises and people in class and felt like he didn't belong and wasn't accepted in his special ed class. He had to attend a private school for kids with disabilities until he was old enough to go to high school.

People with autism are usually poorly accommodated and misunderstood in society. The lack of awareness and misinformation is a huge factor in that. We as a society need to address this problem and fix it. Not just for a couple people, Autism affects 1 in every 51 people.

That's a very large group.


Friday, April 11, 2014

Christmas 2013

Hawaii (sigh)

Day 1: we walked around the harbor, rented a SUP and tried SUP yoga! I loved it. We were laughing so hard. We ate at the resort on the beach. The food was blah, but the view.... Wow.
Day 2: we met up with Aunt Jolene who is on a mission at the PCC. We did some family names at the temple, walked around the grounds (breathtaking us an understatement). We spent the rest of the day at the PCC.
Day 3: our 10th anniversary. We went on an amazing helicopter tour of the island. We hiked Makapuu and looked over the lighthouse. We added our lock to the fence and threw the key in the ocean.we ate dinner at a super fancy restaurant, but since we didn't have time to change, we were in our bathing suits :)
Day 4: we went to Pearl Harbor. The reverence there was so humbling. I will never forget it. That afternoon, we hiked Wameia Falls and swam in the pool under the waterfall. We ate fresh fruit from the farmers market on the way down. Delicious.... So delicious!!
Day 5: we went on our own culinary tour of the island! Tons of people told us about places we HAD to eat. We ate ice cream, more farmers market fruit, Romy's shrimp shack, Matsumoto's shaved ice (the hands down winner) and more ice cream from the Dole Plantation. We stopped at several beaches and saw sea turtles and a whale!!
Day 6: we went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. We heard that the crowds get crazy, so we went at 6:30 am. We watched the sun rise and it was AMAZING! Hardly anyone was there that early, so we really got to enjoy the beauty there. That night, our resort lit fireworks on the beach and we watched from our window. 
Day 7: no pictures :( we visited our friend, Stacy, who is pregnant with triplets and in the hospital on bed rest. It was a lot of fun to catch up and see her. We also went on one more beautiful drive up to the North Shore and met Aunt Jolene for dinner. 

The trip was amazing. It was so fun to spend undistracted time with Russ. I love making memories like this with him, and can't wait to do it again!!