February 21, 2008 12:02 PM
Autism - more than meets the eye
"It is hard to be autistic because no one understands me. People look at me and assume I am dumb because I can't talk or I act differently than them. I think people get scared with things that look or seem different than them."
This was written by a 13-year-old girl with autism who never spoke, but whose educational program led to a communication system that enabled her to communicate for the first time - through writing.
For those as intrigued as I was by this story - thanks to Azamalech for sending it - read on:
Autism Breakthrough: Girl's Writings Explain Her Behavior and Feelings
Doctors Amazed by Carly Fleischmann's Ability to Describe the Disorder From the Inside
Feb. 19, 2008Carly Fleischmann has severe autism and is unable to speak a word. But thanks to years of expensive and intensive therapy, this 13-year-old has made a remarkable breakthrough.
Two years ago, working with pictures and symbols on a computer keyboard, she started typing and spelling out words. The computer became her voice.
"All of a sudden these words started to pour out of her, and it was an exciting moment because we didn't realize she had all these words," said speech pathologist Barbara Nash. "It was one of those moments in my career that I'll never forget."
Then Carly began opening up, describing what it was like to have autism and why she makes odd noises or why she hits herself.
Read entire article here.
Bravo to those who persevered and worked hard to enable Carly to meet her potential! Bravo to those who never gave up! Bravo to Carly's parents, who must have fought hard behind the scenes. Her dad says:
Therapists say the key lesson from Carly's story is for families to never give up and to be ever creative in helping children with autism find their voice.
"If we had done what so many people told us to do years ago, we wouldn't have the child we have today. We would have written her off. We would have assumed the worst. We would have never seen how she could write these things — how articulate she is, how intelligent she is."
Posted in Disabilities | Permalink
Comments
I recently watched a documentary, that I got at the library, called "Autism is a World". It is about a young lady in a similar situation. It is so wonderful to see the way these young ladies have made the world they live in accessible to the rest of us. Here is a link to the CNN page. http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/presents/index.autism.world.html
Posted by: Jennifer Merkel | February 21, 2008 1:14 PM
