I wanted to share the following based on some comments I've read here & there. A clarification of sorts although I am no "expert". (Is anyone though?)
So here goes,
It is not accurate that autistic kids have 'no desire to participate' in the world. This includes those who present as severely autistic, low functioning, & non-verbal.
They have extremely sensitive & easily overloaded sensory systems which make them highly sensitive & incapable of expressing themselves - sometimes thought of as incapable of emerging from their internal shell. They typically suffer from extreme anxiety. And their motor functions & body control is very poor & hard to control.
Those things quite obviously make functioning in society VERY difficult if not just completely impossible.
Their outward look & behavior has nothing to do with what they think & feel inside; & they have a hard time finding a method or successful way to communicate. It also takes tremendous effort & discipline for them to do what are typically very simple tasks, including to make the effort to communicate, even non-verbally, again due to their lack of bodily control & motor function. Many literally cannot physically manage verbal communication.
There is no evidence that they lack feelings or empathy etc... They commonly enjoy being around animals & are very good with animals.
Our own autistic nephew makes many self initiated gestures which demonstrate compassion & caring for others. These emanate from his obvious awareness of other people's feelings & are not mimicked or copied behaviors.
The severely autistic children, teens & adults who have mastered the skill of typing as a form of communication have been able to share some of their inner thoughts & feelings. Each one of the books & blogs I have read have revealed a very intelligent & thoughtful person, who not only FEELS feelings, but has feelings for other people & those around them.
Like everyone else in the world, each is a unique individual person.
But the generalizations that some people make, such as believing autistic people have no interest in participating in the world or doing fun things, no interest in socializing, do not care about others, do not want want or need friends & to be loved, etc ... these are all untrue.
Most of you know all of this already. But I just wanted to say it again.
So here goes,
It is not accurate that autistic kids have 'no desire to participate' in the world. This includes those who present as severely autistic, low functioning, & non-verbal.
They have extremely sensitive & easily overloaded sensory systems which make them highly sensitive & incapable of expressing themselves - sometimes thought of as incapable of emerging from their internal shell. They typically suffer from extreme anxiety. And their motor functions & body control is very poor & hard to control.
Those things quite obviously make functioning in society VERY difficult if not just completely impossible.
Their outward look & behavior has nothing to do with what they think & feel inside; & they have a hard time finding a method or successful way to communicate. It also takes tremendous effort & discipline for them to do what are typically very simple tasks, including to make the effort to communicate, even non-verbally, again due to their lack of bodily control & motor function. Many literally cannot physically manage verbal communication.
There is no evidence that they lack feelings or empathy etc... They commonly enjoy being around animals & are very good with animals.
Our own autistic nephew makes many self initiated gestures which demonstrate compassion & caring for others. These emanate from his obvious awareness of other people's feelings & are not mimicked or copied behaviors.
The severely autistic children, teens & adults who have mastered the skill of typing as a form of communication have been able to share some of their inner thoughts & feelings. Each one of the books & blogs I have read have revealed a very intelligent & thoughtful person, who not only FEELS feelings, but has feelings for other people & those around them.
Like everyone else in the world, each is a unique individual person.
But the generalizations that some people make, such as believing autistic people have no interest in participating in the world or doing fun things, no interest in socializing, do not care about others, do not want want or need friends & to be loved, etc ... these are all untrue.
Most of you know all of this already. But I just wanted to say it again.