ASDs

From the day I started my internship, I began collecting several delightful stories to share involving one of my favorite students who has autism. I've been postponing sharing said stories as I don't know if those who read this blog know much about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). If you don't, the stories are hard to appreciate, and if you do, I'd never want to offend by sounding patronizing. So - here are a few things to know about ASDs:

1. The most noticeable characteristic of ASDs is an impairment in social interaction. People with ASDs may avoid contact, have trouble initiating conversations with peers (children on the spectrum often prefer adult interactions), may have difficulty recognizing facial cues, and struggle with empathy (see for more info on Autism, Empathy, & Theory of Mind).

2. Repetitive movements such as hand-flapping, rocking, head-banging, etc. are common.

3. Individuals with ASDs often have an intense area of interest, and may perseverate on the topic. Examples of such topics include: trains, computers, dinosaurs, video games, etc. It may be hard to redirect them when fixated on the area of interest. This intense preoccupation can cause the individual difficulties with social situations, but may also lead the person to become an expert in their field.

4. Though this last characteristic has been heavily debated, language can, but doesn't have to be, affected. Many people with ASDs have a language delay during early childhood, and may have a formal way of speaking; others are completely non-verbal.

With all of these characteristics considered, it's important to remember that ASDs do indeed fall on a spectrum, so some individuals may display extreme variations of the aforementioned tendencies, while others may display mild versions of the characteristics.

I know a lot about ASDs not just from studying special education and school psychology, but because I've grown up with a brother who falls on the spectrum. He has Asperger's Syndrome, and is the primary reason that I found the field I did. He's incredibly intelligent, but has struggled academically and socially his whole life.

Growing up with a brother on the spectrum wasn't easy. His black and white thinking and volatile reactions to less than frustrating situations was tough. Despite that, I love that kid with all my heart and am his biggest defender. When he got made fun of in second grade by a well-known bully, I found the bully at recess, pulled him off the ground by his hair, and called him a bastard. I had NO idea what that word meant, but I knew it wasn't nice, and I knew that he deserved it.

Anyway, as a result of my life experience, I've found myself working in special education and adore the kids who remind me of my brother - those who have ASDs.

The whole reason I began this post was to share two of my delightful stories from internship that I've been itching to tell. So, I'll get to it. The student these stories come from is 14, has high-functioning Autism, a very formal way of talking, and an overall adorableness about him that is difficult to describe. He has trouble eating lunch in the cafeteria, as he has a lot of social anxiety and the noise level can be a bit overwhelming. In order to encourage him to eat lunch, we developed a contract that allows him to earn time to play (rather teach me how to play) chess. He's one of the coolest kids I know, but his peers would tell you differently. We'll call him Wyatt.

*Story One* When I first discovered that Wyatt was not eating lunch in the cafeteria, I went with him one day to see if I could determine what was causing him to avoid the lunch room. While we were standing in the very crowded and loud line (we have 2500 students at our school, and only two lunch periods), Wyatt asked if I could hold his tray. When I took it from him, I noticed that he needed his hands free in order hold up his pants. They were very loose, and fell far below his waist without free hands to hold them. As soon as lunch was over, I took him down to our SRO's office (campus security) who always have spare belts for the many gang bangers in our school. When I brought in Wyatt, one of the officers asked him how his pants had gotten so big. Wyatt's response: "Well you see, I used to be rather husky. But recently, I have lost a lot of diameter."

It was hard not to laugh out loud at his response. But I assure you, when asked about future weight gain or loss, I'll be sure to refer to it as diameter : )

*Story Two* This one is short and sweet. This morning, while walking with Wyatt in the hall, he shared with me his concern that he and his 10-year-old brother always fight. He said: "My brother and I fight a lot. The reason is still a bit unclear. I think it's because he's rather uncivilized. For instance, sometimes he farts and then yells 'FIRE IN THE HOLE!' He thinks it's funny but it's not. On the occasion that he says, 'excuse me,' I say, 'Welcome to the civilized world.'"

You can tell my time with him is always entertaining. Such a great kid. I just wish the rest of his peer group could see it. :\ Now that you know a little bit about ASDs, spread the word. I'm willing to bet that everyone knows someone who directly or indirectly struggles with this disorder. Actually, I don't have to bet...you know me. :)