It's the month of April and once again, I take this opportunity to advocate and spread awareness and acceptance for children and people with Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD. April 2 is an internationally recognized day known as World Autism Awareness Day. The yearly event aims to encourage all Member States of the United Nations “to take measures to raise awareness about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder throughout the world.” As one of only seven official health-specific UN Days, World Autism Awareness Day brings individual autism organizations together worldwide to aid in things like research, diagnoses, treatment, and overall acceptance for those affected by this developmental disorder.
Autismspeaks.org defines autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as “a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.” Commonly, people with ASD suffer from difficulty with communication and interaction with other people, restricted interests repetitive behaviors, and symptoms that hurt the person’s ability to function properly in school, work, and other areas of life.
As the word spectrum suggests, ASD is not limited to one type or case as it is known to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. This means that there are no two people with ASD exhibit the same type of behavior and symptoms. It ranges from mild to severe, which often relates to a certain person's level of functioning from low to high functioning. This also implies that each person with ASD has a distinct set of strengths and challenges. Some people with ASD may require significant support in their daily lives, while others may need less support and, in some cases, live entirely independently.
My son, now in Grade 4, has learned how to be part of my aunt's processed meat shop. After school every day, he joins the small team in the production of native and skinless longganisa. On average, he is able to prepare 200 packs (6 pcs. each pack) of skinless longganisa. My mom, who is also working with them, shares the delightful news to us that Lance has become a very skilled member and that he exhibits diligence and excellence in his station. They also appreciate him because he works patiently and is focused on finishing his task for the day. They also noticed that he does not even complain at all and values perfection in his finished products.
Autism may be somehow regarded as an invisible disability, meaning some, if not all, of those with autism like my son, may appear to be normal because physically, nothing is wrong with them. However, most of those on the spectrum have behavioral and social problems that when they have tantrums or when they talk or when they flap their ears, that's when people start noticing that there is something odd with them. Through the years, and as my son grows older, I have come to accept the fact that whether I like it or not, there will be people who will judge my kid because of his unusual behavior. Still, I can consider myself lucky since my son may still adopt a high-functioning life when given the proper attention and intervention.
More than spreading awareness to let more people understand autism and its challenges, we, parents of children with autism also yearn for something more than others being informed about what autism is all about. We look forward to that day, and hopefully, it will happen very soon, when people will be more sympathetic, supportive, and accepting of our children. We do not just wish our kids to feel included everywhere they go, be this at school, at the workplace, or even in public places, but we also want them to feel that they can do things the same way we can do them. They may be special or different, but they are not less.