Blog # 1 Autism Does Matter

My name is Chhievling Seng and I am a freshman at Science Leadership Academy. This is my YATW (You And The World) project that I am doing in my English class. I am focusing on kids and adults with autism. I have always loved young children and helping out the ones in need. This is why I think it’s crucial to provide care for autistic people, especially the children, because they are our future; they are our future doctors, lawyer, teachers, chefs, etc. People with autism struggle to live a normal independent everyday life, due to the fact that they are unable to articulate their thought process or actions

A child with autism will have trouble learning things, such as how to talk, understand, or do daily tasks as shown by Kidshealth From Nemours. How would you be if you were unable to express what you want to say; it’s almost like your voice is taken away, isn't it? Kids with autism have a hard time expressing their thoughts and what they want to say, on top of that they also are unable to understand words and feelings that are coming from other people. Researchers are still doing research today trying to figure out the causes of autism. The Autism Society informational page said that Autism is more likely to be developed by someone who has a certain medical condition, such as Fragile X symptom, or someone in their family who are already diagnosed.

There is still no cure for autism, as stated on many different websites I found while I was researching. Autism is one of the fastest growing disabilities at 1,148% growth rate and only about 56% of autistic students finish high school. Also a statistic from Autism Society states that, “1% of the population of children in the U.S, age 3-17 have an autism spectrum disorder.” Yes, you might be wondering why is autism made into such a huge deal throughout this blog if only 1% of U.S children are diagnosed, but what if that 1% of children happens to be your child, sister or brother? Autism does not happen to large number of people compared to world population, but they need our help and support as much as anyone else does.

We need to have more school open with teachers specialized to teach kids with autism, because the sooner they start, the better they’ll overcome what they are struggling with. In the video I watched, it showed two school in New York that are teaching autistic children  The schools featured in the video does not focus just academically when it comes to teaching, they teach the kids based on what they are not understanding. The teacher might have to teach the kid how to brush their teeth, shave, sing, and whatever else needed.

 This picture shows Jon Kinyon learning how to clean with the help of Amanda Loman, a member in the Structured Teaching for Autism Summer Institute.

I think autism will have less questions asked and more answers if we start to care and look more into helping autistic people. Here is information from the website Autism SA on what helps with the development of autistic individuals.

“Intervention should be implemented as early as possible in order to maximize development. Different types of intervention approaches available include: sensory integration, alternative and augmentative communication, speech and language therapy, facilitated communication, music therapy, play therapy, behavioral interventions, vitamins and supplements, nutritional approaches, academic support and social skill interventions. Structured and specific educational and developmental programs that address the difficulties experienced by people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder remain the most effective treatment to date.”  

This is why we must look into providing autistic children good education and help as soon as autism is detected. Over time autistic children who grow into adulthood won’t have such difficulty learning to live independently. Some autistic people also have unique sets of skill that they grasp over time. There’s actually a book called “The Reason I Jump” that is written by Naoki Higashida, an autistic 13 year old. There's still hope in making a change in autism for our world, and it can all start with our effort and support. Catch me on my next blog!

Click here for my annotated bibliography.