“Enlighten our children”

“Children with autism don’t have to adapt to society, Society needs to adapt to children with autism”. I’ m angry, I’m upset but not surprised, the media loves to put out negativity surround autism. To let everyone know autism cannot be cured, cannot be prevented and is a lifelong condition that is from birth. Like other mental and emotional disorders, autism aggravates if left unattended. Despite being incurable as per medical science, we can minimizeits intensity rather improve their condition through love and compassion therapy. Such children needn’t and can’t get adapted to society, but we need to adapt them. Living in 21st century, being tall claimants of human’s values and having taken our economic status to dizzying heights, adapting autistic children should be a cakewalk. If a fluid owns the merit of adjustability , bottle needs not and can’t do wonder to change itself to hold water. It’s the feature of flexibility to make adjustments. Normal minds have the capacity and meritorious attribute to make adjustments and adaptability, why not adapt themselves to the autism thinking it as a less functional unit but not a futile or spare one. Emotional warmth and affectionate attitude can melt the dross of defects among the autistic patients to alleviate their twisted and tense psyche so that their efficiency to interact and communicate ameliorates. There can be no denying to their stunted development in cognitive and conative spheres, still we can make the feel as normals to a large extent by our behavioral therapy.
Autism is not a mental illness.Autistic people can experience co- occuring conditions, such as OCD and eating disorders,but it’s important to remember that autism itself is not a mental illness.One can develop anxiety and depression which one is not born with .Autism,you are born with .I wish people would understand this but the only way is to educate them.Autistic people can actually ‘hear’ better by looking away ,this allows for Auditory input without the discomfort of forced eye contact… education leads to understanding.Autistic people are often perceived as rude when they are trying very hard to be helpful, to understand, and to be understood. All autistic people are not rude by nature. When you perceive an autistic person as rude , please check in with them to what is going on. Don’t assume bad intention .Give the benefit of the doubt. Spend time figuring out what is going on. Autistic people often try very hard to do their best in social situations but get a lot of judgment from others. If you want to be supportive, please help them by being patient, understanding, and willing to check in and see what is going on from their perspective.
(The author is a student at P G Department of Law, Kashmir University. Views are his own)
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