Personal Narrative: My Experience With Autism

In first grade I had a very hard time with a teacher in school. The teacher would yell at me a lot. The teacher did not understand me. I would get angry and frustrated and I would throw desk and chairs. In third grade I was diagnosed with autism. I started reading in kindergarten. By the end of my first grade year I could not read any more. My mom was worried.

“Work to view my autism as a different ability rather than a disability. Look past what you may see as limitations and see the gifts autism has given me…Be my advocate, be my friend, and we’ll see just how far we can go” –Ellen Botbohm, author of Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew.

As I thought back over my elementary school experience, I realized I did not get a lot of support or changes made to help me in the school environment. The first couple of years after I was diagnosed, my Mom would fill out a lot of paper work at the beginning of each school year but the only benefit I remember getting from all of this was extended time to take test, which I never used. Through discussions between my mom and at the teachers recommendation, they made the decision that since I never needed the extended time it was not worthwhile to continue filling out the forms, so my Mom stopped. I remember my Mom talking about the teachers recommending to not fill out the forms since they were not needed because it ‘labeled’ me.

The doctor looked at me and didn't say anything, my mother in the opposite corner. Through gritted teeth I told them I didn't need a therapist, I don't want to talk to somebody about my issues. I wanted to keep them bottled inside, no matter how bad it was for me. They told me everything I already knew, so I just listened and nodded. The doctor stopped talking to me and gave her a list of therapists. I didn't want their help or a therapist's help, the only thing I wanted was to be dead, but that wasn't going to happen.

“Being yourself” is one of the most common ideologies promoted to students at young ages by their teachers and parents. If this ideology is true, then why are so many students being bullied physically, verbally, and virtually for being themselves? Moreover, assuming a student does not have the ability to change himself in physical and mental respects, how can he overcome his hardships? I would now like to move onto an incident where I was ruthlessly bullied for being autistic. It was in the 5th grade, I was the only South Asian student, and the area I had been living in was predominantly inhabited with people of Caucasian background. That being said, it was generally hard for my classmates to socialize with me, in addition to the fact that I was suffering from autism.

The ability to express your feelings seems effortless for teenagers with the existence of "tweeting", blogging, and updating a Facebook status, but for those with autism it is demanding. Loud noises, accidental touches and even an indifferent expression may send an autistic child into a nerve-wracking state. My best friend is autistic; however, I never saw him as different. I am always there for him whether it is on the sidelines for the Special Olympics or whenever he is having a bad day. I am his cheerleader, just as he is mine. I have always been inspired by him to make the world a better place. Seeing him compete in the Special Olympics with his peers inspires others who might not fit in to find a place. There is a home for everybody and little did I know I was about to find mine.

Based on the case study, Sara has many elements and character traits that can identify with her diagnosis of autism. I do strongly believe Sara diagnosis is appropriate and in line with IDEA definition and the revised criteria for ASD in the DSM-5.

Whenever I hear stories about Autism being addressed in today’s society, I’ve always hear these phrases, “Autistic people have no empathy for others, and therefore they can’t develop long-lasting friendships”. However, I never believed in this statement, because it was a common misconception about Autism. This is coming from someone who has lived with autism though out his life. This means that I only see the world in black and white with no gray area like my peers. So it makes communication with other people a challenge for me due to my social differences with the misconceptions trying to limit my potential of success. But, I’ve choose not to let the misconceptions define me for who I am and stop me from doing my own thing that I have a passion

I worked in the corporate world for 28 years and left to work with families with children with developmental disabilities. When my son was diagnosed, I considered it a starting point. I came to The Autism Project and they helped me in so many ways and I always said, “Once I can get my son situated and successful, I want to give back”. Now, I can do just that and it is such a great feeling.

I remember my high school days where I used to not take school as seriously as I should've. I had a 1.76 GPA when I graduated in 2013. I was just busy looking at sport websites like ESPN and tweeting on a regular basis. I hated school so much that I never wanted to come back ever.

What if one day your child went from meeting his/her milestones to not being able to do anything, how would this change your life? An experience that happened to me in my life, I found myself facing a diagnosis of Autism for our oldest son. I felt helpless as a mother, because I knew that something was wrong with our son, but I was powerless to help him. He just stopped talking, eating, and playing overnight, I was scared, confused and dumbfounded. I called my husband at work crying, I tried to explain this to him, but I could not get the words out. My husband asked me to try and calm down so that I could try to explain it to him, I held back the tears, and said, “our son is not eating, he is not talking he cannot play with his toys.” He told

The biggest obstacle that I have encountered in my ability to read and write are my learning disabilities. I’ve went through 18 years of my life before they were identified, and they have caused me so much frustration. I couldn’t understand why other kids could read out loud so well and I couldn’t. I couldn’t understand why it took me so long to read only a few pages of a book when other kids were at the end of the chapter. I had no idea why I couldn’t even sit down to write a single paper when other kids were doing their essays in a span of a couple hours.

Not too long ago a person with autism was put in the attic. They were considered a lost cause. I was diagnosed with autism and I to would have had the same fate. However, fortunately I did not suffer the same fate. When I was younger I had a lot of behavioral problems ranging from the complete lack of social skills to violent outbursts toward family and friends. My parents struggled to find a reason for this behavior. Going through numerous doctors, therapists and behavioral specialists until finally they found a place for me to get better; the child study and treatment center. However one of the many problems for this treatment center was that there was only one in the entire state of Washington and my parents spent a year fighting for me

Autism is a complex disability, as the way it manifests in each child differs in severity across numerous characteristics. Children diagnosed with autism qualify to receive special services and a “free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment” under the federal legislation, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Hunt & Marshall, 2012, p. 15). Autism was added to IDEA in 1990 as a new disability category. The legislation defines autism as “a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age 3 that adversely affects a child’s educational performance” (Hunt & Marshall, 2012, p. 301). The “Rules for the Provision of Special Education” from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction of Washington state also outlines eligibility and individualized education programs for children diagnosed with autism (Rules for the Provision of Special Education, p. 11 & 46). Furthermore, the DSM diagnoses autism when a child shows “qualitative impairments” in social interaction, communication, and “restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities” (Hunt & Marshall, 2012, p. 302).

All the attention was overwhelming; my parents got me a psychologist whom then requested me to see a psychiatrist which only furthered my discomfort. The psychiatrist diagnosed me with major depression/severe anxiety, and a mood disorder; he then