Have you heard of autism? Have you had any face to face experience with autism? Here’s a brief enlightenment on the topic.
Autism comes from the Greek word “auto” which means “self”; it describes a condition where an individual is disconnected from a social setting. It is an umbrella term of the condition known as autism spectrum disorder. Each autistic child exhibits symptoms and impairments differently.
Some evident symptoms of the condition are little ability to form friendships, one-sided conversations, intense absorption in a special interest and clumsy movements. Besides, autistic children are known as “little professors” due to their ability to talk about their favorite subjects in great detail!
Some of us from Spectrum student society had an opportunity to volunteer at Reach Beyond, an autism and child development center. Here are a few words from some of our volunteers
“Though I have been part of projects for the blind and deaf kids and I have a few relatives suffering from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, volunteering at reach beyond among autistic kids was different. I realized that these kids lack understanding of situations and go about life without worry. They don’t know how to express themselves. They are so dependent and yet so independent and demanding of what they want. Apart from that, they are normal children like you and me who need love and affection. Volunteering has definitely changed my perspective on these kids and broken that unsaid stigma.”
-Adshayan Ganeshamoorthy, 22
“I did have a basic understanding on kids with special needs because of a cousin of mine. They are indeed special kids who are extremely talented but lack a platform to showcase it because of society’s labels on them. Working with them was an extreme joy. Their random hugs and affectionate gestures made my heart skip a beat. This experience created a new drive in me to create more awareness on autism because very few people really know what it is. We need to let know more people about autism, especially in schools. I hope more volunteers rise and get blessed by getting to know these unique children. ”
-Amani Rashmi, 23
“Before I attended Spectrum, I had no idea about even the word autism. Coming to interact with autistic children, I realized that they aren’t abnormal children. They are a unique group of people. If the majority of humans were autistic and the minority were normal, the normal will be considered abnormal by society. Therefore this specific labelling on them as “special needs children” feels unnecessary. Every human regardless of how different they are, needs to be treated with kindness. One reason for unkindness and bullying to exist in this world is the lack of understanding the situation of another individual. Therefore I firmly believe creating awareness about mental health problems like these will reduce the extent of bullying, at least to some degree.”
-Avinash Selvaratnam, 20
“Last year I was able to engage in an autism awareness campaign. Working with these adorable children was a great follow-up to it! Before I became a volunteer, the term “a child with special needs” scared me. I thought they were aggressive, uncontrollable and I better keep away from them. But coming to interact with them, I realized that isolating them and looking at them differently is the reason for their aggression. They are children just like us who need a bit more of our love, acceptance and assistance.”
-Esther Swamidason, 21
“This was my first experience working with children with special needs. I honestly had no idea about autism prior to this. I thought the kids will be violent and I won’t be able to handle them, but I was pleasantly surprised to get along with them so well. I felt so good after the three hours spent with them. I had so much fun playing with them and I can’t wait to go again.”
-Randila Withanarachchi, 21
