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.
