Autism is NOT a disease, nor is it a condition requiring a cure. From my perspective, it is a part of life; a sensory response by enlightened individuals who have an extraordinary gift of sensitivity and sensory receptive perception. This often requires insight beyond the scope of traditional parenting, teaching, and medical intervention. It also requires parents, teachers, and other loved ones to extend themselves to new levels of love and understanding.
I do not believe that Autism is caused by vaccinations. Nevertheless, the invasive impact of vaccinations often presents extreme symptoms by kids on the spectrum due to their unfiltered sensory response. As hyper-sensitive beings, highly empathic, these children may react to the vaccination in an adverse manner and doing so, this may lend one to believe the extreme Autism manifestations are due to the medicine. I do not believe this is the case. This hyper-sensitivity is also observed within the context of diet and nutrition. Furthermore, due to an intense - acute level of sensory perception, many diagnosed with Autism, shut down and close themselves off due to sensory overload, especially as the child is just beginning to acclimatize to the world outside themselves (1-3 years old). What makes this so profound is that typical developmental growth patterns of infants and toddlers is founded upon interaction with their environments at this age. As parents and teachers, we often look forward to this period of development due to the high degree of "cuteness", "cuddlyness" and fun associated with infants and toddlers. In contrast, children on the spectrum often shut down and close themselves off from the outside world due to the intensity of their sensory experience. How often do we as adults go to a quiet place when we feel overwhelmed and stressed? It's a natural response to sensory overload.
Nevertheless, our Autistic children do not truly shut down, nor are they cognitively / emotionally in a coma-like state. Developmentally, many of the kids are intellectually focused, and put forth their cognitive acumen toward repetitive activities and familiar settings. The initial learning patterns often touch upon innate gifts, talents, and learning styles. The inconvenient aspect of this behavior pattern is best described as unwillingness to accept change or an adverse response to transitions. Most notably, these behaviors do not create “kodak moments” within the family photo album; in fact, it can create a serious level of tension within the family structure.
Also, as a result of the limited social language interaction due to the sensory overload experience, a child’s skill development in social receptive/expressive language may be impacted. Though the impairment may appear significant compared to a typically developing child, social / language skill development follows a continuum, and most likely, stays the course but within a unique timeframe; their own developmental time line requiring therapeutic support, direct instruction, patience, and understanding along the way. These kids are remarkable young people who are shaping their environments around them in ways beyond conventional wisdom and require understanding way outside the box in light of traditional developmental patterns.
So from my experience as an Educator, Special Education Advocate, and just another person who is trying to learn the dance between the human experience and a spiritual one, the gifts found within Autism are extraordinary for these kids are absolutely profound in the manner by which they relate to the world around them. They touch our lives way beyond the expected scope of typical parenting. Nevertheless, acute sensory empathy or sensitivity in its immature state may appear very challenging at best (and often inconvenient) but then again, as the continuum evolves, this gift becomes more apparent and shines in so many ways.
For example, I know a number of kids on the spectrum who "hear voices", "feel things", and "see things that may not really be there". How often have we all experienced the very same sensation when we walk into a room and "sense" something is up? It's an intuitive sense that most of us don't follow for we are so brain-driven - head-oriented whereas, these kids are often guided by another sense; the sixth sense. As a result, in its infancy stages, this gift is not always convienent. Nor well developed.
Our children are a blessing and contribute to the mosaic of life way beyond anything we initially imagined. From my perspective, walking a path with hundreds of families on the spectrum, I see a Autism as one of the true transformations of the human condition. Thousands of years ago, people probably processed life in a whole different manner. And now, kids on the spectrum are living examples of this evolution. These sensory beings will be guiding us in so many sense-a-tional ways. Unfortunately, many people tend to adversely respond to autistic diversity by placing preconceived notions into the mix and “pegging” these extraordinary children. This is where the rub begins for your child is truly a square peg within a round hole. And Education Advocacy, one of your tools within an emerging kit, will help create a more successful path for your child as he/she moves through life on her own time frame – continuum. Remember: he/she is truly a gift to behold, not a result of a medical experiment gone awry, nor someone that needs to be fixed. Let's try a little love, understanding, and compassion and see where this leads ...