Uniquely human

Autism is on the rise. Have you noticed? It’s pretty common for most people to have had some sort of interaction with a person with autism. Sometimes the link is direct, like a parent who cares for a child with autism. Sometimes it’s an acquaintance, like meeting a coworker’s child with autism. No matter what the connection is, it seems like autism is just more present—because it is. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that back in the year 2000, autism spectrum disorder, ASD, affected 1 in 150 children. Today, autism affects 1 in 44 children. What does that mean? It means that there is a significant number of adults with autism and an even larger number of children with autism who will grow up to be part of our communities. So let’s take a look at how we interact with people with autism.

The CDC defines ASD as a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. What does it mean to have significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges? That part can be tricky to describe. Although there are common signs of ASD like avoiding eye contact, repetitive actions, or stimming (unusual movements or noises), the overall variation and severity of these symptoms are innumerable. This is the reason autism is described as a spectrum. There’s a saying by Dr. Stephen Share that goes: “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.”

April is Autism Awareness Month. In the spirit of inclusion this month and every month, I encourage everyone to read the book Uniquely Human by Dr. Barry M. Prizant. This book looks at autism with the intention of understanding—not changing the individual. It talks about the different ways people with autism process the world and the variety of reasons they might do things that seem unusual to the rest of the world. It asks us to look at the reason a person with autism does what he does. It asks us to adjust the way we react instead of trying to change the person with autism.

Let’s celebrate the many ways a person with autism is unique and embrace the new ways we can interact with persons with autism. Ask anyone whose lives have been touched by autism. They will tell you of all the great joys, the triumphs, and the endless love they find every day. They will say that, no matter how familiar or foreign the interaction with autism is, it is always worth it.

Scan here for “What is Autism Spectrum Disorder” from the CDC’s website.

The book Uniquely Human by Dr. Barry M. Prizant is available for loan at the Family 2 Family Health Information Center at the fifth floor of the Marianas Business Plaza. They can be contacted Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 4:30pm at (670) 664-8700 or f2fhiccnmi@gmail.com.

If you feel that you or someone you know has been discriminated against because of a physical or mental disability, contact the Northern Marianas Protection & Advocacy Systems, Inc. at (670) 235-7273/4. Visit us on the web at www.nmpasi.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NMPASI, or on Instagram @nmpasi670.

Sharleen Sablan (Special to the Saipan Tribune)
Sharleen Sablan is a project specialist at the Northern Marianas Protection and Advocacy Systems Inc.