Clark Baranoski
ENGL 384
Dr. Foss
2 May 2019
Throughout the years, autism has usually been viewed as a negative thing, a disorder that should be fixed and one that wrecks the lives of caregivers and families. Especially with nonverbal or nonspeaking individuals, outsiders often view them as somehow lost or trapped in their own bodies, or they assume that, because the autistic individual is not speaking their thoughts, they do not have complex thoughts to begin with. Several of our readings have proven this wrong and should be read by everybody with that mindset. Two readings that particularly drive the message home that autism is not some sort of tragedy that should try to be cured are Jim Sinclair’s “Don’t Mourn for Us” and “Cultural Commentary: Communicate with Me” by DJ Savarese.
So often, the focus on autism discussions is how hard it is for parents and other outsiders to deal with autistic individuals. While there are challenges for parents, such as the fact it is most likely very frustrating and upsetting for a parent who may not be able to calm their autistic child down, or may not know what their child wants, whatever challenge there is for the parent is undoubtedly not as important as the child’s. For example, if a crowded place like the mall is overstimulating with bright lights, loud noises and too many people, the child may experience sensory overload to the point where the environment is actually painful to be in. A trip to the mall would certainly be stressful for the child who is overstimulated, but most people would probably sympathize with the parent for having to deal with the effects of the child’s sensory overload, such as screaming or trying to run out of the mall, rather than consider how much of a horrible experience it is for the child. To non-autistic people, the child’s reaction seems like an overreaction because they are not bombarded with sensory stimuli like the child is and do not see how a trip to the mall could be so overwhelming and distressing. Many people who may not know about autism might think the child is simply being a brat for screaming.
While aspects such as sensory difficulties may make some aspects of life hard, one should not grieve the autistic individual’s existence or their autism. As Sinclair eloquently puts it, “continuing focus on the child’s autism as a source of grief is damaging for both the parents and the child, and precludes the development of an accepting and authentic relationship between them” (Sinclair, n.p.). Autism is typically viewed as a huge game-changer, and while Sinclair admits that there is grief over learning one’s child will not be what who the parents thought their child would be, no parent in the world can predict their child, autism or not. Some parents mourn autistic children because they are not the non-autistic child they envisioned (Sinclair, n.p.). But very few parents get the child they envisioned or fantasized about. Even if their child is not autistic, they could still turn out quite different from the parent’s expectations, such as active, sport-loving parents having a child who would rather sit inside and play video games or bibliophile parents having a child who will not willingly read a book. This is the same scenario in that their child is not who they expected and they may wonder how they will connect with their child who seems so different from them, yet an autism diagnosis is viewed as a tragedy. Yet a book-loving parent could think they may not be able to connect with their autistic child, only to find out their autistic child also loves books and they could connect through reading.
DJ Savarese offers a look into his mind that shows that he is aware and eager to connect with others despite outward appearances. When he does not greet people directly, it may appear he is not interested in people. This is hardly the case. Savarese does not greet people directly because it would be far too overwhelming to do so (Savarese, n.p.). It may appear to outsiders that Savarese, and other individuals on the autism spectrum, is not interested in other people, but he quite clearly is. He wants to make friends and get to know people, but the way he does so is a little different. To an outsider, it may look like his facilitator is guiding the pencil or his hand when he types, which could lead people to the assumption that Savarese is not the one typing at all and that his facilitator is communicating for him (Savarese, n.p.). Savarese’s perspective made me think of the autistic children I volunteered with at a summer reading camp a few years ago. Most were nonspeaking and communicated, like Savarese, by spelling out words on letter boards or typing. It often seemed like they were not listening to the middle-grade books we were reading out loud, because they were flipping through other books or off in the corner looking at photo cards. Yet when we asked a question about the book we were reading, they more often than not answered correctly, which proved they were listening the whole time. This helps prove Savarese’s point that autistic people are aware of what is going on around them, even if other people might not think they are aware or paying attention. The children I volunteered with could answer questions about how the characters were feeling, putting themselves in the character’s shoes and disproving the whole theory that autistic individuals lack a theory of mind. DJ Savarese also talks about how he may not hear people at certain times which is why he does not respond, and he may take a while before he can show he notices somebody (Savarese, n.p.) This helps show that autistic individuals are not merely ignoring others as some people think. Surprisingly, Savarese also tells the reader to ignore his body, including signs for “done” and “break”, when it seems counterintuitive. This may be quite true in Savarese’s case, but it could lead to people ignoring other autistic people when they indicate they need a break. If someone ignores the sign for “break”, then when the child really needs a break, they may be ignored like the boy who cried wolf.
These articles show that autistic people experience life in a different, unexpected way, and while some aspects are more overwhelming for some autistic individuals, their lives are just as fulfilling and complete as their typical friends and family.
Word Count: 1084
I hereby declare upon my word of honor that I have neither given nor received unauthorized help on this work.
Clark Baranoski
Works Cited
Savarese, DJ. “Communicate with Me.” Disability Studies Quarterly, 2010, www.dsq-sds.org/article/view/1051/1237.
Sinclair, Jim. “Don’t Mourn For Us.” Our Voice, vol. 1, 1993.
