Seeing Past the Autism to the True Person Inside

          I am just about finished reading Carly's Voice. A story about a girl in Toronto who suffers from severe Autism. When you look at Carly, the first thing most people notice is all of her Autistic behaviors. It is not until you take some time  to get to know her that you see her intelligence, sense of humor, and all around great personality. For those of you who have not heard of Carly Fleichmann, she is a now 16 year old girl who is nonverbal, and displays many behaviors that go along with being severely Autistic, such as flapping, rocking, bleating, etc. Carly had been working intensely with therapists since her initial diagnosis, but her inability to communicate prevented her from showing her true abilities. At the age of 12, while working with her therapists, she typed out "HELPTEETHHURT". From then on Carly has not only introduced her family to her true self, but also educated the world about what it really means to be Autistic, and has given a voice to so many people who are not able to use their own. Reading this book has really opened my eyes to what it is really like to have Autism. It has made me that much more sensitive to my students and what they are going through. I have always known that people with Autism have sensory issues, but the way Carly described what was going on with her body,  how her legs feel like they are on fire, and her arms feel like they are crawling with ants, and the only way to relieve those sensations is to bang her body on the table or walls. Carly has written about how frustrating and hurtful is was to be scolded for banging or yelling, when she couldn't help herself or she was doing those things to prevent her body from doing something even more destructive. The way Carly explained how people with Autism filter sounds, and process visuals, shows us that even when they seem like they are in a completely different world, they are still aware of everything that is going on around them. Many people tend to think that people with Autism, especially those who are nonverbal, are not intelligent and do not comprehend the world around them. This is a gross misjudgment and an insult to these people. I have worked with people of many different disabilities and varying degrees of these disabilities, and I treat them all like what they are-people. I talk to them like I would anyone else their age. I have more patience and appreciate that some may need a little more time to process what I am saying, but just because they are in diapers, or cannot speak does not mean they cannot comprehend typical conversation. What is even more disgusting to me is that there are people who claim to be experts that are calling Carly a fraud. They don't believe that it could ever be possible that someone with Autism as severe as hers can have such intelligence and candor. I believe these "experts" should be stripped of their titles and degrees. Especially these so-called "education experts". As an educator you should be steadfast in your belief that everyone can learn and be relentless in your efforts to find ways to teach those who have a hard time excelling with conventional teaching methods. It is not up to us to decide that a student has reached their learning potential, and can no longer learn. It is our DUTY to keep pushing our students to succeed despite the odds and others' low expectations of them.  Why is it so hard for people to believe that people with Autism can be intelligent, well spoken people? Having Autism, means your brain is just wired differently, not defective. In actuality, having Autism gives these people abilities us "neurotypicals" don't have. People with Autism perceive the world differently  than neurotypicals, and in that way they can have a great impact, and can solve problems that we have never been able to solve. When everyone looks at a problem and attacks it from the same viewpoint and perspective, no real solution will ever discovered. Now comes a person who has a different outlook on things. This person is more sensitive to sounds, textures and visuals, and because of this approaches the problem for a different direction, and finds a solution. We need to embrace these differences and do what we can to help those we know who have Autism to overcome their sensory issues and open up and reveal their true selves; their whole person. The old adage, "You can't judge a book by its cover" has never been so appropriate as it is when working with people with Autism, or any other special needs diagnosis.