Having an ID

        B is a 12 year old boy with autism. He was born to Filipino parents residing in London.  Last year, his family spent Christmas in the Philippines. 

        It was B's first time to visit his parents' homeland and meet their relatives. Christmas is a much celebrated occasion in the Philippines. Parties, family reunions happen in this joyous season.
      B and his family were invited to dinner with relatives and friends at a restaurant located in a mall in Quezon City three days before going back to London. Everyone was having a nice time feasting over a sumptuous meal and catching up with people whom they have not been with for quite a long time. Dinner was soon over. Everyone bids their goodbyes. Then they noticed B was not in his seat nor anywhere in the restaurant. The family reported B's loss to the mall security. Security camera footage was reviewed and showed B going out of the mall and headed towards E. Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA). That was the end of the footage. Nobody knew where B went. 

The Special Education Teacher

        "Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. This process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, accessible settings, and other interventions designed to help learners with special needs achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and community..." - Wikipedia

        That is how special education is defined by Wikipedia. Such heavy words that sounded too complex if it is put into action. That is the job of a special education teacher. A profession that requires more than a Bachelor's degree, but the heart and determination to cause change in the lives of the people they work with. The work of a special education teacher demands utmost patience, persevering determination to help students learn and improve, but not necessarily highly compensated.

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.

A Positive Look at Echolalia

        C, a 4 year old child with Autism, was brought to his Developmental Pediatrician for his mid year follow up. The mom gave the doctor an update regarding C's behavior and current concerns. 

" Well, doctor, C's off task behavior was lessened according to his therapist. He can now follow more complex commands. However, he recently has this annoying habit of repeating words or phrases spoken by another person. Sometimes, he tends to repeat phrases from TV commercials. He sounded like a parrot when he does that," his mom told the doctor. The doctor smiled and  replied in a mirthful tone, " That's a good sign. You should not feel bad about C sounding like a parrot. It is a positive indicator for future language development."