An autistic's mind is normal, even brilliant!
Autism is a severe developmental disorder that begins at birth or within the first two-and-a-half years of life. Most autistic children are perfectly normal in appearance, but spend their time engaged in puzzling and disturbing behaviours which are markedly different from those of typical children. Less severe cases may be diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) or with Asperger's Syndrome (these children typically have normal speech, but they have many "autistic" social and behavioural problems). It is the fastest-growing developmental disability and becoming a worldwide epidemic. Autism knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries, and family income, lifestyle, and educational levels do not affect the chance of its occurrence. However, since the early 1990's, the rate of autism has increased exponentially around the world with figures as high as 60 per 10,000. In Bangladesh there is no statistics but to observe the increasing number of autistic children in special schools, it may be assumed easily that the rate of autism in Bangladesh is alarming. Given the magnitude of the problem, there is an urgent need to create awareness about autism in this country. My son Aunindo Momen Aurko, age 14 plus is an autistic child. To the world, he is simply an awkward kid, but to me against all of his odd behaviour and activities is the most beloved. He is full of intelligence and sometimes brilliant, but because of his unusual behaviour, the society treats him as strange. My personal feeling is that this is our limitations that we cannot explore his potentials as per his talent. So, problem lies with us, our society — not with the autistic one. Despite its prevalence, autism is a disorder that is still largely misunderstood. Many people have an idea about a typical autistic person is — non-verbal, dumb, sitting in a corner rocking. The world sees the autistic as weird and insane. The world and the autistic are like a drama theatre. The autistic children can understand everything that is happening around them as a silent observer beyond of normal people's imagination. The tragedy of autism is being unable to communicate in words. An autistic's mind is normal, even brilliant, but the absence of verbal expression makes their behaviour totally misunderstanding. Parents must probe and think where the strength of the child lies. Where does it show interest or aptitude? What activity calms him or what activity he does not mind doing? The earlier the talent is detected, the larger will be the benefits. Research is showing that autism is treatable. Early identification and appropriate management can improve the quality of life of these individuals and their miserable families. Non-autistic people see autism as a great tragedy and parents experience continuous disappointment and grief at all stages of the child's and family's life cycle. But this grief does not stem from the child's autism itself. It is the grief over the loss of a normal child of the parents had hoped and expected to have. Parents' attitudes and expectations and the discrepancies between what parents expected from their children at a particular age cause more stress and anguish than the practical complexities of life with an autistic person. Of course the autistic children would not respond in the way parents expect, and may well find the whole interaction confusing and unpleasant. You know it takes more work to communicate with someone whose native language is not the same as yours. And autism goes deeper that language and culture; autistic people are "foreigners" in any society. There is a common question which arises among all parents: What will happen to our children when we won't be able to take care of them? This is also my question to the society. The article is by Syeda Shahnewaz Lotika, a researcher and a Mom of an autistic child.
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