Autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affect so many, yet are understood by so few. One in 68 American children are on the autism spectrum, and that number has been increasing. Yet even while this disorder affects tens of million of people worldwide, general knowledge about the actuality of autism seems to be lacking. People just don't understand. However, if you take some time to try to understand, it's not hard to find resources to help you do so. Understanding autism and the people who are affected by it is of critical importance, as awareness is needed to improve the treatment of those affected. Carly Fleischmann is helping to spread this awareness.
Autism and ASD are general terms for large variety of complex brain development disorders. Autism can be characterized by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, repetitive behaviors, intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination and attention, and physical health issues such as sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances. It's a spectrum, so the symptoms range in degree for every person. Not all people with autism experience all of these symptoms. It is wrong to categorize every person with autism into the same category.
As you can imagine, people with autism are often misunderstood, socially isolated, bullied or discriminated against. This happens in all stages in life, but consider for a moment an autistic child in school. Children can be cruel, and because so many do not understand autism, they are quick to label their autistic peers as "weird" or "awkward." Oftentimes, a person's autism becomes more of a defining factor of them than their personality, talents or intelligence. Autism does not erase one's personality, talents or intelligence, but in the eyes of those ignorant about the disorder, it can mask these amazing traits.
This is why we need to talk about Carly Fleischmann. Carly is a young adult woman with an extreme form of autism that causes her to be completely non-verbal. Until the age of 10, she was almost unable to communicate at all. Then, one day, she began communicating through typing on her computer. I could talk more in depth about her disorder, but that is not what defines Carly.
Carly published her first book, "Carly's Voice," in 2012. Recently, she has started her own YouTube channel, "Speechless with Carly Fleischmann." Carly hopes to be a talk show host, and she debuted her first interview with a guest three months ago.
As she interviews Channing Tatum (!!!), you don't see Carly as a girl with autism. You see her as a hilarious, bold and talented host. You see her, as you should see all people with autism, as a human being, perhaps one to which you can relate. Anyone with any disability, be it mental or physical, is a human being with a personality, with goals, with dreams, and with potential.
It is critical that we see this. That we know this. It is critical that we do not let autism or any disorder overshadow the amazing abilities and personality that each and every person has.
This is important because currently, our ignorance about autism leads to discrimination. Currently, few people are trained in how to educate those with autism, and so these students are marginalized, sometimes even rejected completely by their schools. Many of the medical treatment that is needed for autism patients isn't covered by insurance companies. The medical community refuses to acknowledge much of the growing research on how gastrointestinal and chronic immune problems affect those with autism. There are very few government funded agencies that exist, or are properly trained, to help adults with autism.
More needs to be done. As Carly, and each and every person with autism if you choose to listen and understand, shows us, people with autism have no less merit, importance, or worth than anyone else. Their disorder doesn't disqualify them from being intelligent, talented, funny, brave humans that deserve our respect.
