Tikaani

Tikaani
The mascot of Prism*Song

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The evolution of an HFA child

I started thinking about this when I was doing dishes, it got my brain going on how autistic child will grow and change and how they will perecive things. This is mostly satrical, so don't take this as fact at all.

The Unaware Phase (age 2-5)

The child at age 2 just got the diagnosis of autism. He is unaware of diagnosis and how people look at him. He unjudging and honest. He doesn't hide between half-lies and polical naunces. He just is. At this point we can say he can speak some what and starts talking around age 4, his parents potty-trained him and he is fuctioning enough that he joins a preschool and goes into several directions

Direction A the neurotypical class
He goes to a school with teachers that have little training and knowledge of autistic children he is sent home many times for biting and screaming during story time. He has meltdowns when someone has a spesific toy he plays with routinely. Eventually the child is homeschooled, parents wonder if he will ever be mainstreamed.

Direction B the Special Ed preschool
The child goes into a exclusive class, the teachers treat him well but they don't expect much. The child doesn't have any neurotypical peers to learn from so behaviors regress, teachers try to enforce good behaviors but they are understaff and have other students to watch. The parents wonder if he will ever be mainstream, some days the doubt completely.

Direction C the middle road
The parents send him to a mix class with 1 autist to every 3 neurotypical student. The teachers are all one on one and the autist learns and keep skills needed to 'ninja' around neurotypicals.

The Geeky Kid Phase (6-12)

At this point the student is now in the school system. He is may or may not have special interest that he shares with his class. He is learning to read and write he may prefer the computer to communicate. His social skills are deloping he may or may not be aware that he is autistic. At this point he struggles with bullying and suffers from verbal abuse. Behaviors fluxate and are inconsitant. He has a lot of problems he may or may not know how to work out. This can manifest in some forms.

Agression
Counter-bullying, rage episodes, biting, physcial violence. Parents medicate to control the child, the child struggles to commuicate his feelings.

Withdrawl
He suffers with depression and may regress, may have bed-wetting or night-terrors. Will say things like 'I don't want to go to school' or 'I hate school' might need behavioral therapy, may or may not turn into clinical depression.

The Rebel Teen Phase (13-18)
At this point kiddo is in puberty and every thing in his eyes basicly sucks, he might play victim or show apathy. He might struggle with feelings of a sexual nature but might not know how to handle them. He might be inappropriate to the point of creepy or he might be cicumstanically gay. His grades can be anything from perfect to failing. He is loosing interest with people and might struggle with finding happiness with them. Is happy engaging his special interests and slow is shutting himself off with peers after being bullies and outcasted for so long, three rodes hit.

Self-pity
He starts to hate himself and blames his disability for everything. He lacks the skills for responsibilty and searches for a Holy Grail called a 'cure' at adulthood he is the Curbie Autist.

Anger
The autist becomes a misanthope. He hates people and wishes everyone gets hit with a plauge and dies. He suffers from depression as well and was agressive child. He doesn't want to be fixed and uses his disorder as reasoning on why he is so superior. Eventually he becomes the Milatant Autist.

Sympathy
The boy may have a few close friends, he might delevope his empathy enough that he can appeart to have 'typical' expressive empathy. He is kind but downtroden, he sees a lot of abuse from his peers, he seeks companionship from other autists and eventually he wants to make things better for all. He grows up to be come the Activist Autist.

Now there is also the Neutral Autist who seperates himself from all politicls the so-called "Cured Autists" who think that they are just cured and the Seprate Autist who doesn't say he autistic but asperger and looks down on LFAs The are a thousand outcomes.

What is yours?

1 comment:

  1. satirical..but so close to the truth in many cases...fortunately,not ours. My kids and their outcomes...I hope for a wonderful, fulfilling magical adventure of a life for all of them as they grow into socially conscious, responsible, living life to the fullest adults..I want them to love themselves.:)

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