I once heard about a frightening scenario where a patient undergoing surgery is put under general anesthesia, but only the immobilizing aspect of it takes affect. The patient is able to feel the pain of the surgery and comprehends everything that is happening, but is powerless speak, move, or to ask for help. I can’t think of too many things more terrifying. Is it possible that autistic children are in a similar predicament?
Do you ever wonder whether children with autism are imprisoned in a world of total sensory chaos, but on some level can comprehend what they are experiencing? Could it be that they are powerless victims of sensory overload who would gladly communicate their feelings if they could?
“A Million Ants are Crawling on My Arms…”
Recently, a story was portrayed on CNN where an autistic girl, Carly Fleishmann, was taught to communicate via computer. Using a keyboard to put language together, the thirteen-year-old surprised her parents and therapists by being able to explain in words some of her feelings about being autistic. She describes sensations like “my legs feel like they are on fire,” and “a million ants are crawling up my arms.” She also writes about the stigma of being different from everybody else. Her ability to communicate is offering new insight into some of the puzzling aspects of the disorder.
I have provided the link to this fascinating story, and hope you parents will take a look. One of the questions we might ask ourselves is, are we providing our special children with enough early intervention therapy? If we wait too long and don’t chisel away at the barriers to communication, could it eventually be too late? What would our children tell us if they could?
“I Don’t Want to Be This Way, But I am.”
My son Kyle, who is autistic, is generally very happy, but he’s often far away in his thoughts. I sometimes wonder what movie scenes or obsessive thoughts are playing in his mind from which he can’t escape. I also wonder what other sensory experiences he may be having that I’ll never understand. If these children had better communication skills, we might know a whole lot more. Yet the barriers exist. Carly explains, “I don’t want to be this way, but I am. Dont be mad; be understanding.”
To view the video of Carly, click here.
Kristyn Crow is the author of this blog. Visit her website by clicking here. Some links on this blog may have been generated by outside sources are not necessarily endorsed by Kristyn Crow.
Related Articles:
Eight Difficult Autistic Behaviors (And Why They Happen)
Promoting Communication in Your Non-Verbal Child
Sensory Integration Dysfunction: Just What Exactly Is it?