Jenny & Jeffry, part 1
Jenny and Jeffry are ten-year-old twins. They are precious youngsters, loved by their family, teachers, and friends at school. The twins, of course, were born of the same parents, have grown up in the same home, and have had the same medical care, educational opportunities, and therapy over the years. But the twins, both diagnosed with autism, are as different as night and day.
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Jenny is non-verbal, but is able to make her wishes known by pointing, grabbing, or making a few sounds. She nods her head “yes” at appropriate times, but tends to scream rather than shaking her head “no.” She approximates sign-language for “more” and “please,” but has not yet expanded her sign-language vocabulary beyond those two basic words. Jenny seems to understand what other people are saying, and to comprehend sophisticated conversational topics. She laughs at appropriate times, watches people as they converse, and follows rather complex directions. Over the years, two dedicated speech therapists have worked diligently with Jenny in an effort to help her communicate more effectively. In conjunction with Jenny’s teachers and parents, the therapists have introduced several communication systems, including picture symbols, sign-language, and two different computerized communication systems. Jenny does not seem to focus on or connect with visual cues, and has not yet responded to any of these communication methods.
Her twin brother Jeffry talks fluently, using sophisticated vocabulary and sentence structure. But he is not able to carry on a casual, interactive conversation. Jeffry does not seem to focus on people and happenings, and does not seem to connect to the words and conversations of others. If he does talk to another person, he does not focus on the topic of conversation. Instead, he tends to talk non-stop about a book he has read recently or some interesting facts about the mechanical workings of a car or computer. He cooperates with his speech therapist, but responds mechanically and has not yet generalized the concepts of give-and-take conversations into his daily life.
Jeffry is very bright academically. He can read and write, and he excels in mathematics, science, engineering, and history. He reads books constantly and is able to comprehend and remember facts, figures, and concepts. In the same way he does not connect with the words and actions of people in his life, Jeffry does not show any interest in television, movies, or other action media. He prefers written words. He is fascinated by music notation and the theoretical structure of music, and has enjoys playing the piano and some bass guitar patterns.
Jenny does not read nor write. She tends to throw, break, or tear books, computers, communication board, toys, or any other item within her reach. In spite of the best efforts of teachers, parents, and therapists, Jenny has shown not interest in learning the names of objects, numbers, colors, letters, or any other basic academic concepts. For example, if she is asked to choose between to objects by pointing to a red card or giving the teacher an apple, she just stares or bites her hand. Jenny does pause and begin rocking gently when she hears live music, but she resists attempts to encourage her to strum a guitar on her own or to tap a piano key.
Tune into the second part of this discussion of Jenny and Jeffry to learn more about the diversity of autism, the vastly different ways autism impacts individual lives. Invite your family, friends, and colleagues to join the conversation http://FAQautism.com
NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: 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. Feel free to send me a confidential email at talk@FAQautism.com with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com
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