AUTISM AWARENESS TALK
What does autism mean/What is it autism?
Autism is a NEUROBIOLOGICAL DISORDER.
Neuro means that it’s in the brain.
Biological means it’s how your body is naturally made.
Disorder means that things are not in the regular or typical order the way they are for most everyone else.
Something that’s not in order in the brain = neurobiological.
How does autism affect people? / What can happen to you if you have autism?
When a person has autism, it affects three main areas of life:
Difficulties with verbal and non-verbal communication: Usually does not develop speech at the same time other kids do
Difficulties with social interaction: Usually have a difficult time making and keeping eye contact, which is how we know if a person is listening or understanding us. Also trouble understanding social cues like facial expressions, tone of voice, or if a person is trying to change subjects, stop the conversation, or if they are uncomfortable talking about something.
Difficulties with repetitive behaviors: Some people do things like flapping their hands, rocking back and forth, or banging their head when they are angry or frustrated.
Are there different types of autism?
Yes. Autism is on what we call a spectrum. Think of a rainbow and how there are all different kinds of colors and shades in a rainbow. The same is true for autism. Not all people with autism behave the same way or have the same abilities.
What causes autism? / Why do some people have autism?
We don’t know what causes autism. Scientists are working every day to try to figure it out, but there is no one specific cause of autism.
How do you get it? / Can you develop or get autism in the middle of your life?
Autism is something a person is born with, not something they can develop or get later in life.
Is it deadly?
No, autism is not deadly. It cannot kill you. It is NOT a disease or sickness. It is not something a person can catch, like a cold or the flu. Autism does not make a person sick or have to be hospitalized.
Is there a cure?
No, there is no cure for autism. But some people with autism can learn how to live with autism so they can be able to cope with their symptoms better.
Having autism means that your brain is put together differently. Your brain still works perfectly well. It just does things differently from other people’s brains.Let’s think about the brain as a machine. You know that your brain controls everything you do. You use your brain to think about things and to make your body do things. Your brain also controls things that you don’t even think about. You don’t have to remember to breathe, because your brain does it automatically for you. You don’t have to remember to blink, because your brain does it. So, sometimes you USE your brain to do things and sometimes your brain just does things because that’s what it’s wired to do.
The same thing is true in autism. Sam uses his brain for everything, too. But because there are differences in the way his brain is connected, there are differences in the way his brain reacts to things.
Now, we all know that your brain is a machine that's made of tissue and neurons and nerve cells. But let’s pretend it was a more simple machine. Let’s pretend your brain wasn't made of tissue and neurons and nerve cells, butinstead, it was made of metal and plastic and electrical wires. And let's pretend that when you put that metal and plastic and electrical wiretogether, it turned into a toaster.
And let’s pretend that MOST of us had toaster brains. Some of us might make white toast and some wheat toast or rye toast, and some of us might make light toast and some of us dark toast. Some of us might only toast bagels, and sometimes we might evenburnthe toast, but for the most part, all of our brains would be able to do the same thing: make toast.
Now think about the pretend world that we have just created. In our world, MOST people have toaster brains. So, when we make the rules for our world and decide how we want to spend our time, what do you think we’ll decide is the MOST important thing a person can do? (Make toast)
Because we have brains that are really GOOD at making toast - so we will want to have a world where it's REALLY important and REALLY valuable to make toast. Right?
Now let’s pretend that Sam’s brain is ALSO made of metal and plastic and electrical wires, just like our brains, except that when HIS metal and plastic and electrical wires get put together, they turn into a totally different kind of machine. Instead of being a TOASTER, Sam's metal and plastic and electrical wires turn into a HAIR DRYER.
There’s nothing WRONG with a hair dryer, right? Hair dryers are great! There are some things that hair dryers are really good for. There are some things that a hair dryer can do even BETTER than a toaster. But it is REALLY, REALLY hard to make toast with a hair dryer.
So, in our pretend world, even though Sam has a perfectly wonderful hair dryer brain, it’s going to be hard for him, because we toaster-brained people have decided that the most important thing that people do in our world is make toast. And Sam probablycanmake toast with his hair dryer, right? But he is going to have to work a lotharderto make toast with his hair-dryer brain than we will with our toaster brains. It will probably take him a lot longer to make his toast. And no matter how hard he works, his hair-dryer toast will probably alwayslookdifferent from our toaster toast.
But, on the other hand - think about THIS! When we toaster-brain people have wet hair? We are REALLY going to hope that Sam and his hair-dryer brain are around.Because in the real world for most of us, when all the neurons and cells and tissue gets put together, we have a certain type of brain. And we have created a society that says the most important things are the things that most of our brains are really good at - things like:
Talking and communicating with people;
Making friends and spending time with people;
Doing lots of different kinds of things, having lots of different kinds of interests, and trying new things.
Because our brains are really GOOD at those things, we try to spend most of our time doing them. But those are all things that, because of his autism, Sam’s brain has a reallyhardtime doing.
Being social and knowing how to interact with people is difficult. Sam has a hard time understanding people’s facial expressions, or their tone of voice. He can tell when a person is super happy or really sad or angry, but he might not realize when a person feels bored or doesn’t want to keep talking about the same thing he does. He might not understand why people do the things they do; just like you don’t understand the things Sam does or why he does them. Just like a toaster slowly heats up, but a blow-dryer heats up and blows air at different speeds – the machines work differently than each other.
But that’s the reason I’m here today. If you can better understand the way Sam’s autism affects him, then maybe it won’t seem so scary, or strange or weird. And if you can understand him better, you might be able to appreciate the way his brain works, even though it’s different than yours.
Do you need special medicine for autism?
No, not usually. Sometimes kids with autism might have food allergies that affect their daily life, or they might have a really hard time falling asleep or staying asleep all night long because their brain never stops. There are vitamins and supplements that can sometimes help with those kinds of things, but it’s not really considered medicine.
Is autism scary for other people?
No, people do not need to be scared of me because of my autism.
Can it be scary for the person with autism?
It can sometimes be scary for people with autism. Sam feels scared when he sees other kids with disabilities who look different than him.
Does it make you lose your reputation?
Autism can affect how other people think of someone with autism. If someone with autism acts in ways that seem weird or strange and other people don’t understand why they are acting that way, it can make other people feel uncomfortable, scared, or not want to be friends with that person. That’s why it’s hard for people with autism to make friends. But it’s really important for them to have friends – how would you feel if people didn’t want to be your friend because of something that seemed strange to them?
Does autism make it hard to think?
Yes. For me, I have trouble answering questions in school because I have a hard time paying attention. I get distracted easily, and I have a hard time not thinking about scripting. I have a really good memory about some things that I really, really like, such as dates (birthdays, when movies came out, what date I saw a movie on), and I can remember the whole script from my favorite movies. But I have a hard time remembering other things, like studying for a test over the weekend, or remembering to take something home from school at the end of the day.
Does it make everyday things hard?
Yes, it can. Regular things that you might not even notice – like a ceiling fan, shadows passing outside, people chatting at a restaurant, silverware on a plate, or people chewing food – are REALLY noticeable and can even be painful to his ears. Have you ever heard sharp nails on chalkboard before and it sends chills down your spine? It’s kind of like that, for all different kinds of things. And when Sam feels like this, it makes him hard to communicate what the problem is, especially if it’s more than one thing bothering him at the same time, it makes him start doing things, like scripting, or even getting really upset because his brain isn’t giving him the right information and he can’t express what he’s feeling or why.
How can you control autism?
I have a LOT of trouble controlling my anger and when I cry. People could annoy me like when they keep telling me to “sshh” and when people look at me when someone says “sshh.” I will get disturbed if someone asks me what I’m doing, like when I’m pretending to lightsaber fight.
People with autism can learn how to control different challenging areas with therapy. Some kids need help with physical things like running, riding a bike, or even things as simple as holding a pencil well enough to write. Other kids need help with concentrating and focus and learning how to control their behavior. There are some things that can’t be controlled very easily, like being able to calm down when he’s really, REALLY upset. His brain, like a computer, isn’t communicating with the rest of his body, and it’s much, MUCH harder for him to be able to calm down than it is for most other people.
If you have autism, can you stay still most of the time or do you have to move around?
I move around sometimes and it’s mostly my hands that move a lot, and it’s called stimming. Usually, I do this when I’m excited. Also, when I’m pretending my hands are starships from Star Wars.
Is your day-to-day life different than anyone else's?
Yes, it is. I feel I have to keep my shoes on all the time, but I don’t know why. I get on electronics the most. I don’t do sports as much as other kids might. But I do practice shooting basketball. I also go to therapy. But I like to watch movies and play outside too.
Does it make it difficult playing sports?
Sort of. At my old school, I had trouble playing soccer when no one passed me the ball and I was the only one who couldn’t make a goal. I cannot steal at all when playing basketball, and according to that, I can’t shoot a basketball from a 3-pointer. When I had a soccer game, I had to wear cleats instead of my regular shoes. I did not like the cleats because they didn’t go high enough on my feet.
Do you think the same we do/How do they think with autism?
Autistic people think differently than other people who don’t have autism.
Do you feel different?
I do feel different a lot than other people do. When people are being goofy and not listening in class, it makes me uncomfortable and I’m trying to resist the temptation to be goofy too. Also, I don’t like it when people laugh about some things that I’m doing, like scripting. I HATE, HATE, HATE to be embarrassed.
Sam doesn’t like it when other people point out things he’s doingthat he does because of his autism, especially when it’s something he can’t help doing, or has a hard time stopping.
People with autism have a lot of trouble doing regular things that come naturally or super easy to people without autism. They have to work EXTRA HARD to be able to keep up with other kids their age. But there are also lots of things that Sam, and people like Sam, are really, really good at. A lot of you mentioned those things on your cards:
Good drawer
A good, cool, and awesome friend
Good memory
Imaginative
Nice
Intelligent
Hard working
I hope you have a better understanding about what autism is now, and how it affects Sam. It’s important to remember to always treat others the same way you would want to be treated – Sam is a 5th grade kid, just like all of you, and he wants to be treated like a regular person, even though he might have a hard time with some things and has to work more than others at things that are easier for you. But you can help him if he is having trouble understanding something; and he can even help you! Be kind to others who might seem different than you, because you seem different to them. Everyone wants to be accepted and to have friends who will stand up for them if they are being made fun of, and to have fun with others just like everyone else.