Article - Living With Autism: The
Teenage View
Published in the New York Times
on March 16, 2007, “Living With Autism: The Teenage View,”
written by Virginia Heffernan, is a television review that describes
a then recent episode of the MTV series “True Life.” The episode
focused on three teenagers and their families and how they deal with
autism.
The
first subject, Jeremy, can't speak. But that didn't mean he couldn't
communicate. He and his mother developed a system, a written
“keyboard” on which he could point to letters and spell things
out. With the advent of the Lightwriter (a keyboard that speaks for a
person) it was even easier for him to communicate with others. Though
he still got overwhelmed by crowds, he was able to let people know
that he was “'Happy and nervous, so I need to relax.'” His
self-imposed retreats were no longer taken as evidence of sadness but
just a needed breather.
The
second subject, Jonathon, is an artist. He could speaks but had
trouble suppressing some of his emotions. He was prone to tantrums,
manifestations of his frustration. Because these fits happened within
range of an easel, Heffernan comments that he “look[ed] more like
an artist in the throes of concentration than he does anything else.”
The
final subject, Elijah, who has a milder version of autism called
Asperger's syndrome, “is considered the least impaired of the
three.” He performed as a stand-up comedian and the focus of his
narrative was whether or not he would take advice to include his
autism in his act. His parents were against the idea of him
identifying himself as simply autistic, since that was not really
what or who he is. But ultimately Elijah chose to include talking
about autism in his act, considering it an “asset.... something put
in the foreground.”
I
chose this article mainly because it brings forth real people living
and thriving with autism; they have found ways to relate to others in
the world and communicate in their own way. In the introduction
paragraphs, Heffernan states that “very little in the popular
literature is meant to engender empathy. Instead articles and
documentaries on the subject whip up fear, and particularly fear in
parents, because autism, which surfaces in early childhood, has no
cure and no straightforward treatment.” This quote was what drew me
to the article, what compelled me to read about Jeremy, Jonathon and
Elijah. I wanted to read about people, teenagers, living fulfilling
lives, not being ostracized from the societal sphere, as I can only
imagine happens in most cases.
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