Autism does NOT need to be “cured”, we are NOT broken. What is needed is understanding and assistance. Thank you.
Geraldine W CampbellSeptember 8, 2020
My autistic grandson is now approaching his 21st birthday. He was slow to talk and to become mobile. Since we already had deafness in the family, it occurred to me that he might have a hearing problem but, since he was my son's first child, I was reluctant to suggest there might be a problem. However, an older son of mine already had three older children whom I had helped care for and, as a teacher myself, I was aware of autism myself but we generally knew little of it in those days. Eventually, when the child was 18-months old, I suggested to his mother that perhaps we should have his hearing checked and was very relieved to be told she - a childcare nurse herself - had already expressed concerns and, when the child reached 2-yrs of age, he was going into a "Full development" assessment. This process took 6-months and covered every aspect of child development at that age. The outcome was that my now 30-month grandson was assessed "...... high performance autistic..." and immediately began age-appropriate therapy with great results. Bottom line though, we found that physical direct engagement was hugely supportive of the therapy, which developed appropriately with the child. The outcome has been a well-developed, socialized young man with no apparent symptoms of his condition. Unless you have known him since infancy, you would not know he is on the spectrum. Our boy completed high school, engaged in some technical training, has undergone work experience and is better than competent on a computer. Autism cannot be cured but it can be managed.
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Anna PowellSeptember 9, 2020
Autism does NOT need to be “cured”, we are NOT broken. What is needed is understanding and assistance. Thank you.
Geraldine W CampbellSeptember 8, 2020
My autistic grandson is now approaching his 21st birthday. He was slow to talk and to become mobile. Since we already had deafness in the family, it occurred to me that he might have a hearing problem but, since he was my son's first child, I was reluctant to suggest there might be a problem. However, an older son of mine already had three older children whom I had helped care for and, as a teacher myself, I was aware of autism myself but we generally knew little of it in those days. Eventually, when the child was 18-months old, I suggested to his mother that perhaps we should have his hearing checked and was very relieved to be told she - a childcare nurse herself - had already expressed concerns and, when the child reached 2-yrs of age, he was going into a "Full development" assessment. This process took 6-months and covered every aspect of child development at that age. The outcome was that my now 30-month grandson was assessed "...... high performance autistic..." and immediately began age-appropriate therapy with great results. Bottom line though, we found that physical direct engagement was hugely supportive of the therapy, which developed appropriately with the child. The outcome has been a well-developed, socialized young man with no apparent symptoms of his condition. Unless you have known him since infancy, you would not know he is on the spectrum. Our boy completed high school, engaged in some technical training, has undergone work experience and is better than competent on a computer. Autism cannot be cured but it can be managed.
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