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MakaylaTheAspie
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11 Nov 2011, 12:29 pm

If autism is such a big thing worldwide, it should be brought to light a little bit better than it already has. In past efforts that I've seen, it is made to look like a serious condition that can potentially cripple the person affected. I know that that's not true.

I'm planning on talking to my school's principal, who may talk to the superintendent, about maybe setting something up for the other people in my school district to better understand someone with autism. I think the benefit of having the knowledge will increase understanding in my peers. I'm not the only autistic student at my school.

Any thought or suggestions before I talk to my principal?


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jmnixon95
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11 Nov 2011, 12:34 pm

Are you wanting to help make Asperger's specifically more understood, or the autism spectrum in general? (I'll explain why I'm asking once I receive an answer.)



MakaylaTheAspie
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11 Nov 2011, 12:36 pm

jmnixon95 wrote:
Are you wanting to help make Asperger's specifically more understood, or the autism spectrum in general? (I'll explain why I'm asking once I receive an answer.)


The autism spectrum in general.


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-froggo-
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11 Nov 2011, 1:09 pm

I was under the impression that, from an educational point of view, at least, ASD is considered to be low incidence.


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wavefreak58
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11 Nov 2011, 1:12 pm

-froggo- wrote:
I was under the impression that, from an educational point of view, at least, ASD is considered to be low incidence.


Current estimates range from 1 in 100 to 1 in 150. But this is not really the full picture. The impact of autism can be quite dramatic. It has a high cost to society in terms of education, health care and adult productivity.


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Ganondox
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12 Nov 2011, 8:58 am

wavefreak58 wrote:
-froggo- wrote:
I was under the impression that, from an educational point of view, at least, ASD is considered to be low incidence.


Current estimates range from 1 in 100 to 1 in 150. But this is not really the full picture. The impact of autism can be quite dramatic. It has a high cost to society in terms of education, health care and adult productivity.


I think part of the thing we want to spread awareness on is how ASD aren't ONLY a cost to society.


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Verdandi
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12 Nov 2011, 9:06 am

Some of us are a cost to society in monetary terms, although I would argue we contribute any many ways beyond the monetary - but they are ways that are typically devalued or ignored.



SylviaLynn
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12 Nov 2011, 9:47 am

This is a great idea. So, you have two things you need to get across. You have to convince the principal and administration that there is a need to educate students (and staff) about ASD. What would you like others to know about you and kids like you? How are you going to put it in terms that they will understand? For the grownups: has this been done before? What were the results?

For the students, focus on the positive and how there are differences, yes, but kids with autism have similarities too. There are reasons for the differences, not just "weirdness". I hope I'm making sense. I'd be very interested to see what you come up with. My daughter is autistic in grade school. Inclusion doesn't work unless the other kids know how to include kids with autism and other differences.



MakaylaTheAspie
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12 Nov 2011, 4:39 pm

I want them to know that I and others on the spectrum are capable of amazing things, but I also want them to know that Autism isn't a disease. Most of the autistic kids at my school are ostracized and looked at as dumb, because a couple of them are non-verbal (My friend Travis communicates through sign language).

I see a great potential in increasing awareness among my peers.


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Ganondox
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12 Nov 2011, 5:37 pm

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only kid with AS at my school as my parents once told me an 8 year-old boy was just diagnosised and they wanted me to like mentor him or something, but I have no idea what happened to that as it wasn't brought up again, but I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in the highschool diagnosised with it or any other ASD. I have no idea what know of autism except one girl seems to know about it and view it more positively, most of the boys seem to associate it with either retardation or being an as*hole, and some of my peers may know I have AS, I just have no idea about which ones. I don't know how to raise autism awareness here, or what value it would have.

As for the cost to society, yes LFA has a huge monetary cost for society (well, assuming resources and services to aid them are a cost. Caretaking positions create jobs and that's a good thing, right?), but HFA and AS does not have much costs except individuals with those may be unproductive when they lack motivation, and their unemployment rates are higher for whatever reasons (there might also be some costs related to education, but those are minor compared to LFA).

Also monetary value is a horrible way to measure the worth of an individual, if we measure it that way we should just enslave half the population, and kill a third or so of it. People contribute to society in other ways, and the most "successful" of men aren't the best; your value isn't in how much you take (your paycheck) but how much you give, which should be in forms beside money as if you have money to give you should have given something society to earn it in the first place, or else the money you have is undeserved and you took
in order to have it, and the most valuable gifts are not in the form of money.

Personally I feel like a bit of a parasite right now, albeit a talented parasite, but that might just be because I'm not an adult yet and because I can't see how others see me, so I don't know if they feel I provide anything for them, and I have natural self-esteem issues that teeter between self-loathing and arrogance.


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MakaylaTheAspie
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12 Nov 2011, 7:32 pm

I'm not sure exactly what I should say to him. It may come out the wrong way and he may fully reject my idea.


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NZaspiegirl016
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12 Nov 2011, 11:43 pm

I think it sounds like a good idea. It would definitely raise awareness. Me, personally, I'm going to do a speech about Asperger's when the time comes next year (we've already done speeches this year). But that's just my way.

On a side note, my friend Michael is also a non-verbal LFA who communicates with sign language. Sometimes.


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MakaylaTheAspie
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13 Nov 2011, 12:10 am

Travis is somewhere between low and moderate, so he mostly communicates through sign language. He will try to speak occasionally, but it's not very clear. He also does a lot of vocal stimming to keep himself calm, and he plugs his ears whenever he is in a really loud class (which is most of the time). Most of my class mates stare at or ignore him, but a few cool kids associate themselves with him as much as I do (cool as in kind).


He doesn't enjoy being stared at, so he's stim more and more until he can't take it anymore.

Side note over. What should I say to my principal?


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