Inside Autism
A friend with autism who is a high school student told his parents that one of his teachers keeps telling him he needs to look at her when she is talking. During lunch last week, one of his friends asked him why he always lined his food up in a perfect row before eating. He does well academically in regular classes, but he has some mannerisms and habits that catch the eye of his fellow students. This young man commented to his parents, “I think my autism is showing…it is always getting in my way.”
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MORE INSIGHTS. Another high school student says she feels as if she is always needing to “hide” her autistic behaviors at home because her parents make comments such as, “Don’t flap your papers like that. It makes you look autistic.” She says her brothers sometimes tell her parents if she is rocking or flapping her hands while riding the school bus. “I think I just do those repetitive things when lots of things have happened in one day,” she wrote. “I wish everyone could understand that I don’t do those things on purpose.”
The challenges of autism are different for each individual. Two young adult friends with autism are having difficult getting jobs because of various behaviors related to their autism. One is a young lady with autism who has not yet been hired for a job. Her habit of non-stop talking about one obscure topic has probably emerged during job interviews.
The other friend who is not able to get a job resists shaving because of issues with tactile defensiveness. He also has difficulty controlling his obsessive – and irritating – habit of straightening all of the items in an office or a store. Both of these individuals would benefit from a job coach, but both resist direction from other people and neither realize their lack of social skills are roadblocks to getting jobs.
A child diagnosed with autism whom I’ve known since he was three constantly took his shoes off and threw them. This happened at school, at home, at church, in the grocery store, on the school bus, and in the car. The concern was that he would hit someone when throwing his shoes. And his shoes flew out the window of the school bus once. We assumed that he wanted his shoes off because of tactile defensiveness and extreme sensitivity to touch that resulted from his autism. It turns out that the opposite is true. He is actually craving deep pressure tactile stimulation on the bottoms of his feet. Because he was non-verbal, he wasn’t able to express what he wanted.
These brief glimpses into the lives of these individuals help us understand the complexity of autism and its effect on every aspect of their daily lives.
NOTE TO LISTENERS AND READERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. You can click on a button to send me an email with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solutions. Check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. www.FAQautism.com
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