Our kids understand

[Guest guest]

Once again Dr. Goldberg appears to be correct. Our kids are intelligent and do

understand even though they can't speak. My school district thinks I am a

lunitic having my nonverbal, stimming son in a communicative handicap class

based on Dr. G's recommendations, but lookie here...

>

>Twoarticles below about kids and young adults with autism using

typedcommunication to communicate their thoughts, feelings, emotions (and wants

butthe other stuff is obviously what we parents love to know)..

> 

>Like the angelsin my life tell me  IT’S ALL GOING IN (with ALLof our kids).

Are you a believer yet?

> 

>Kristie

>P.S.

>For further proof read

> 

>MindTree by Tito Mukhopadhyay,

>How Can I Talk If My Lips Don't Move: Inside My Autistic Mind(Hardcover)

>byTito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay(Author)

>Strange Son: Two Mothers, Two Sons, and the Quest to Unlock theHidden World of

Autism (Paperback)

>by Portia Iversen

> 

> 

>1.) The Truth About Autism: Scientists Reconsider What They Think They Know

>By Wolman 02.25.08 |6:00 PM

>

>

> Baggs is at theforefront of a movement that’s forcing researchers to

rethink autism.

>Photo:  Dimmock

>FEATURE

>AResearcher's Puzzles Point to the Differences in the Autistic Brain

>The YouTube clip openswith a woman facing away from the camera, rocking back

and forth, flapping herhands awkwardly, and emitting an eerie hum. She then

performs strangerepetitive behaviors: slapping a piece of paper against a

window, running ahand lengthwise over a computer keyboard, twisting the knob of

a drawer. Shebats a necklace with her hand and nuzzles her face against the

pages of a book.And you find yourself thinking: Who's shooting this footage of

the handicappedlady, and why do I always get sucked into watching the latest

viral video?

>But then thewords " A Translation " appear on a black screen, and for the next

fiveminutes, 27-year-old Baggs — who is autistic and doesn't speak—

describes in vivid and articulate terms what's going on inside her headas she

carries out these seemingly bizarre actions. In a synthesized voicegenerated by

a software application, she explains that touching, tasting, andsmelling allow

her to have a " constant conversation " with hersurroundings. These forms of

nonverbal stimuli constitute her " nativelanguage, " Baggs explains, and are no

better or worse than spokenlanguage. Yet her failure to speak is seen as a

deficit, she says, while otherpeople's failure to learn her language is seen as

natural and acceptable.

>And you findyourself thinking: She might have a point.

>In MyLanguage

>Baggs livesin a public housing project for the elderly and handicapped near

downtownBurlington, Vermont. She has short black hair, a pointy nose, and

roundglasses. She usually wears a T-shirt and baggy pants, and she spends a

scaryamount of time — day and night — on the Internet: blogging, hangingout

in Second Life, and corresponding with her autie and aspie friends. (Forthe

uninitiated, that's <em><span style='font-family: " Georgia " , " serif " '>autisticand

Asperger's.)

>On ablustery afternoon, Baggs reclines on a red futon in the apartment of

herneighbor (and best friend). She has a gray travel pillow wrapped around

herneck, a keyboard resting on her lap, and a DynaVox VMax computer

proppedagainst her legs.

>Like manypeople with autism, Baggs doesn't like to look you in the eye and

needs helpwith tasks like preparing a meal and taking a shower. In conversation

she'lloccasionally grunt or sigh, but she stopped speaking altogether in her

earlytwenties. Instead, she types 120 words a minute, which the DynaVox

thentranslates into a synthesized female voice that sounds like a deadpan

Britishschoolteacher.

>The YouTubepost, she says, was a political statement, designed to call

attention topeople's tendency to underestimate autistics. It wasn't her first

video post,but this one took off. " When the number of viewers began to climb, I

gotscared out of my mind, " Baggs says. As the hit count neared 100,000, herblog

was flooded. At 200,000, scientists were inviting her to visit their labs.By

300,000, the TV people came calling, hearts warmed by the story of a

youngwoman's fiery spirit and the rare glimpse into what has long been regarded

asthe solitary imprisonment of the autistic mind. " I've said a million timesthat

I'm not trapped in my own world,' " Baggs says. " Yet what do mostof these news

stories lead with? Saying exactly that. "

>

>Photo: Dimmock

>I tell her that I asked one of theworld's leading authorities on autism to

check out the video. The expert'sopinion: Baggs must have had outside help

creating it, perhaps from one of hercaregivers. Her inability to talk, coupled

with repetitive behaviors, lack ofeye contact, and the need for assistance with

everyday tasks are telltale signsof severe autism. Among all autistics, 75

percent are expected to score in thementally retarded range on standard

intelligence tests — that's an IQ of70 or less.

>People likeBaggs fall at one end of an array of developmental syndromes known

as autismspectrum disorders. The spectrum ranges from someone with severe

disability andcognitive impairment to the socially awkward eccentric with

Asperger'ssyndrome.

>After Iexplain the scientist's doubts, Baggs grunts, and her mouth forms just a

hintof a smirk as she lets loose a salvo on the keyboard. No one helped her

shootthe video, edit it, and upload it to YouTube. She used a Sony Cybershot

DSC-T1,a digital camera that can record up to 90 seconds of video (she has

sinceupgraded). She then patched the footage together using the editing programs

RADVideo Tools, VirtualDub, and DivXLand Media Subtitler. " My care

providerwouldn't even know how to work the software, " she says.

>Baggs ispart of an increasingly visible and highly networked community of

autistics.Over the past decade, this group has benefited enormously from the

Internet aswell as innovations like type-to-speech software. Baggs may never

haveconsidered herself trapped in her own world, but thanks to technology, she

cancommunicate with the same speed and specificity as someone using

spokenlanguage

> 

>(continuedhere)

>http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/magazine/16-03/ff_autism/

> 

> 

> 

>2.) AutismBreakthrough: Girl's Writings Explain Her Behavior and Feelings

>Doctors Amazed by Carly Fleischmann's Ability to Describe theDisorder From the

Inside

>By JOHN MCKENZIE

>Feb. 19,2008—

>

>Carly Fleischmann has severe autism and is unable to speak a word.But thanks to

years of expensive and intensive therapy, this 13-year-old hasmade a remarkable

breakthrough.

>Two years ago, working with pictures and symbols on a computerkeyboard, she

started typing and spelling out words. The computer became hervoice.

> " All of a sudden these words started to pour out of her, andit was an exciting

moment because we didn't realize she had all thesewords, " said speech

pathologist Barbara Nash. " It was one of thosemoments in my career that I'll

never forget. "

>Then Carly began opening up, describing what it was like to haveautism and why

she makes odd noises or why she hits herself.

> " It feels like my legs are on first and a million ants arecrawling up my arms, "

Carly said through the computer.

>Carly writes about her frustrations with her siblings, how sheunderstands their

jokes and asks when can she go on a date.

> " We were stunned, " Carly's father Arthur Fleischmannsaid. " We realized inside

was an articulate, intelligent, emotive personthat we had never met. This was

unbelievable because it opened up a whole newway of looking at her. " This is

what Carly wants people to know aboutautism.

> " It is hard to be autistic because no one understands me.People look at me and

assume I am dumb because I can't talk or I actdifferently than them. I think

people get scared with things that look or seemdifferent than them. " " Laypeople

would have assumed she was mentallyretarded or cognitively impaired. Even

professionals labelled her as moderatelyto severely cognitively impaired. In the

old days you would say mentallyretarded, which means low IQ and low promise and

low potential, " ArthurFleischman said.

>Therapists say the key lesson from Carly's story is for familiesto never give

up and to be ever creative in helping children with autism findtheir voice.

> " If we had done what so many people told us to do years ago,we wouldn't have

the child we have today. We would have written her off. Wewould have assumed the

worst. We would have never seen how she could writethese things how articulate

she is, how intelligent she is, " the gratefulfather added.

> " I asked Carly to come to my work to talk to speechpathologists and other

therapists about autism, " said Nash. " Whatwould you like to tell them? She

wrote, 'I would tell them never to give up onthe children that they work with.'

That kind of summed it up. "

>Carly had another message for people who don't understand autism.

> " Autism is hard because you want to act one way, but youcan't always do that.

It's sad that sometimes people don't know that sometimesI can't stop myself and

they get mad at me. If I could tell people one thingabout autism it would be

that I don't want to be this way. But I am, so don'tbe mad. Be understanding. "

>You Asked, She Answered:Carly Fleischmann, 13, Talks to Our Viewers About

Autism

>How Carly Responded to Your Questions

>Question: " Millions of people saw your story on ABC News.Thousands have written

letters of thanks to you. You are an incredible inspirationto so many families.

Everyone is very proud of you. How does this make youfeel? "

>Carly: " Iam so happy. I got a big gift from people around the world. Among so

many kidswith autism they chose me to be an advocate for autism. Where should I

getbehind a cause like this? I am so glad that I am able to help people

understandautism. "

>Top of Form

>Question: " Hi Carly, after years of not beingable to speak, what does it mean

to you to be able to tell people what you wantto say? "

>Bottom of Form

>Greg from Erie, Penn.

>Carly: " greg it feels so awesome to ask for things. So how do you speak? "

>Question: " Carly, I am so happy you found a way to communicate with those

aroundyou! My question is what was it like dealing with autism and coping with

the frustrationsof not being able to communicate your thoughts, feelings,

desires and dislikesto your loved ones? "

>Ailyn from Miami, Fl.

>Carly: " Ailyn it just sucks when I am alone. I feel very sad whenmel goas away.

I always yell when I feel like people so don't understand why Iam sad. "

>Question: " What can you suggest to me, as a teacher and a parent of young teens

withautism to help them? "

>Jerry and Marieanne

>Carly: " bepatient. Try getting a computer. Give them chips when they type. "

>Question: " What one thing do you think my autistic child would want me to know

abouthim? "

>pgklim

>Carly: " Ithink he would want you to know that he knows more than you think he

does. Heis lucky to have nice parents. "

> 

Sincerely,

Juarez, M.S., Marriage and Family Therapist