Do Persons with Autism Lack Empathy?

              A couple of weeks ago, the handle of our old broom broke as I was sweeping the yard. I tried fixing it while C (my eleven year old son with autism) was watching. My efforts failed and decided to dispose the broom instead. Frustrated, I spent almost an hour trying to mend it for nothing. 
The next day, I was surprised to see the broom all fixed up. The handle was neatly and sturdily connected to the broom. I thanked my husband for it. But he replied,"No, I did not fix it." There are only the four of us in the house- me, my hubby, C, and our youngest son who is five years old. If it's not me, nor my husband who fixed the broken broom, then who did? While trying to figure out who, we saw C giggling while staring at us. And so we asked him,"did you fix the broom, dear?" With that radiant smile on his face, he replied, "yes."
            That was not only about an old broken broom. What made us really happy was the fact that our son took the time to help us without being asked. He showed us he cares and we matter to him. 

Discovering One's Self Through Sports

         A lot has been said about how beneficial sports can be once you get into it. Getting into sports can strengthen the immune system and will certainly make one physically fit. The more important benefits one can derive in engaging in sports are mostly intangible, but becomes innate in one's mind and heart that will translate into becoming a better person. Not necessarily a champion in the chosen sport, but a champion in life.
        Sports is not exclusive to the typical members of the population. There are sports events that celebrate the talents of the differently abled. Although sports demand physical, emotional and  mental strength, talented differently abled individuals have proved they can play and win; lose in a game and still manage to stand with the head up high.
        Engaging into a sport for a person challenged with autism may not be that easy. Considering the fact these persons may  have behavioral and sensory issues; some lack the ability to speak or easily comprehend spoken language, learning to participate in a sports activity may be quite toilsome. Those thoughts occurred in my mind when I read a notice from my son's school about a Softball Clinic. I was hesitant in the beginning but eventually decided to let my son join and have the experience of playing softball.
        Softball is played in a large, open field and requires the skill of throwing and catching a ball, batting and running . Learning the basics of the game may be arduous to someone with poor waiting skill and impulse control; with poor eye and hand coordination; and speech and  language impairment. It is more challenging for those with difficulty in controlling sensory input. Like for instance being overwhelmed when given a series of instructions on what to do; affected by loud or unusual sound; poor sense of  balance and  perception of space making them move clumsily bumping into persons and objects or refuse to move fast (like running);

A Rightful Place

      J is a 28-year-old, high functional adult with autism.  The time came that his learning abilities reached its plateau. This signaled his parents to put a stop to J's schooling and let him do other things that would still enhance him as a person. 
   The  family owns a freight forwarding business and employed J to work as a data entry encoder. The years spent in special school and therapy center has prepared J to this new phase in his life. It may not be easy at the beginning, but with patience and guidance, J dealt with his new- found place in the society's work force reasonably well. 
     J has been working as a data entry encoder for a few years now. As an employee, he pays his taxes, therefore, contributing to the nation's progress. He is also a Social Security System (SSS) member which assures him of a pension on his retirement. 

So Called "Right to Life"

        I learned from one of the autism blogs I follow, Juniper Hill Farms, the heart-breaking story of Paul Corby. 

        Paul Corby is a young man of 23 years from Pennsylvania, U.S.A., who suffers from a very rare congenital heart disorder, left ventricular non-compaction (LVN). This disorder primarily affects the muscles of the heart, most commonly the left ventricle, which unnaturally appears spongy. This defect renders the heart ineffective in performing its function of circulating blood thus the danger for life-threatening complications. Paul survived three strokes and has been maintained on 19 sorts of medications daily. This being the case, a heart transplant would be the best treatment option.

Believing He Can

          We were eating at a fast food restaurant when an ad on the wall caught my son's attention. The ad was aimed to recruit children for the summer kiddie crew workshop. The ad showed happy faces of children convincing enough and made my son wanting to join.
          I was a little worried he might not be accepted to join in typical summer programs. But I still tried to inquire about it. The restaurant manager enthusiastically stated all the requirements for joining. But I just had one question to ask her, "Do you accept children with special needs?" The manager paused and then replied " Yes, we do. It's the restaurant's policy to accept every child who wishes to be a kiddie crew." I told the manager a little something about my son. She reaffirmed that my son's condition won't be a problem although they have not experienced having someone like him in the previous years they have been doing the workshop. Upon hearing that, I had my son registered.  
         A few days before he started as a restaurant kiddie crew, I had a lot of  "what ifs" and worried thoughts. What if he could not understand what he would be asked to do? What if he becomes hyperactive, runs around and break something? What if  he could not get along with other kiddie crews?
       My boy is already 8 years old, able to write his name, a sight reader, with tendency to be echolalic sometimes and gets confused with multiple instructions but with very good work behavior.  I was worried to let him be in a place where people may not have a single idea of what Autism is and how people with Autism are. This would be the first time my son would be participating in an activity where the people he would be working with were not trained to deal with children with special needs. 
       My son's most awaited day came. He was excited to be in his kiddie crew uniform. The first day began with a short parent and kiddie crew orientation. The kids were asked to introduce themselves.  My son has speech and language delay but he managed to state his full name and age clearly as he stood up in front of everyone without a trace of  jitteriness. 

Bullied for Being Different

        N's parents always thought that there was something different about him but did not pay much attention about it until N went to school for the first time at age 5. His teacher said he could not cope with the lessons and was actually behaving differently compared to his classmates. Because of being "different", his parents were advised to have N evaluated by a doctor who confirmed that N has Autism.
       Since then, N studied at a special school. His progress in academic and communication skills were quite remarkable. After several years of faring in a special school, he was recommended to be mainstreamed into a regular school.
       A big transition in N's life unfolds. The eight year old boy was assessed and qualified to join in the 1st Grade Class. The first month of the school year went on smoothly for N. But the subsequent month was filled with grim. 
       There was a time N would miss eating during recess because his snack bag was missing. He would come home with scribbles at the back of his polo shirt. Some of his school stuffs  like pencils or pad paper were lost and apparently big boys took them from his bag. When asked who were those kids and why they did that to him, he would just lock himself in deafening silence. But his eyes could not hide the feelings of sadness and fear.