I'm Still Human - Essay Example

I’m Still Human I’m Still Human Human beings are strongly linked with each other and they share a large part of their genetic material with each other. Despite of this strong relationship created by the resemblance in the genetic codes of all beings, many differences exist between humans. These variations have been used by human beings to classify themselves and this classification has led in stereotyping and negative imaging of certain groups. Thus, though human beings are connected to each other through the genetic code that leads to their very existence but they have created gaps between each other on the basis of various differences. Racism is a perfect example. Whites have always been marked as superior to the blacks in the United States and the blacks have been negatively stereotyped. Although many efforts have been taken since decades for uniting the human race and sorting out the differences between them, these problems still exist in our society where a particular group of people are sidelined and neglected (Biss 2008). This inferiority is not just assigned to a particular group on the basis of their physical appearance but also owing to their mental skills and capabilities. I can truly relate to this with my life as I have a son who suffers from autism and I have taken care of him for eight years after his condition was identified. My child was diagnosed with autism at the age of four years and though he is in possession of great skills and abilities, he is looked down upon owing to his disease which makes him different from other children. The article, “Autism: Why Some Children ‘Bloom’ and Overcome Their Disabilities” sheds light upon the positive outcomes that can be obtained in autistic children if early interventions are prescribed in these children. While going through this article, I assessed the importance of the need of optimism and positivity in the life of autistic children. It triggered thoughts in my mind regarding my son and how proper support and interventions can actually make his life better. Autistic children are not received with warmth and love in our society. They are sidelined and are not judged on the basis of their positive traits but are rather judged on the basis of their shortcomings. This makes their progress and development worse (Szalavitz 2012 a). Children suffering from autism are not treated well in our society and this can clearly be assessed by the report of a recent research. The results of the research revealed that young school going children who suffered from autism were bullied five times more than the other children. Parents of these children speculated that the numbers would be even higher as many autistic children are not even able to report their victimization properly. The research highlighted that forty six percent of the children who had autism and studied in middle and high schools told their parents that they had been bullied by other students. The intensity of this problem can be assessed by knowing that only ten percent of the other school children were subjected to these acts of bullying. Riley-Hall who is a high school teacher and has written articles on autism has shed light upon this issue. She has explained that the older generations did not have much of an interaction with people having special needs and thus they did not know how to deal them. Rather than helping these individuals, these people were scared of them and this trend has been passed on to their descendants. Riley-Hall has explained their ignorance perfectly in these lines, “Theres still a sense that they are not as fully human as other people.” Thus, autistic individuals are treated unfairly and in inhuman ways in our society (Szalavitz 2012 b). Autistic children are special and they need greater care. It needs to be understood that they are as much human as other beings are. They feel pain like we do and they do not deserve to be sidelined for them being special. The society should understand that since every being is different and needs different things in their life, the autistic children are also different and so are their needs. While going through the news piece on how some of the autistic children become successful whereas others fail to progress, I could only think of my son. My son, Jay, is a very active child and he was diagnosed with autistic disorder at the age of four years. He has received great family support since then and he has bloomed into a smart child. He is lively and enjoys watching movies, playing games and operating the computer just like other children of his age. Apart from indoor activities, Jay also likes to be a part of outdoor activities as he is extremely energetic and loves to run. But he is restricted from being an active runner as he has asthma. Despite of this shortcoming, he is still very creative and reveals his innovative thoughts. He wishes to ride an airplane and dreams to visit Disney World. He thinks and presents imaginative thoughts. He believes that he has superpowers like the cartoon characters including Superman and Batman. We do not let him down and listen to his thoughts and promote him so that his disease becomes his strength. I assessed after reading this article that he may become a very intelligent student if he is provided proper guidance and support and I have been putting in all my efforts to do the same. Jay performs well in the subjects of mathematics and science but his weakness lies in reading. Szalavitz has explained in her article that “the earlier a child receives help, the more likely he or she is to overcome disabilities”. I have been truly trying to follow these guidelines so that my son can overcome all his weaknesses. The article has raised my hope that my child will be able to lead an absolutely normal life and will be like the other children (Szalavitz 2012 a). He dreams of becoming a teacher one day and I wish that he accomplishes his dream. I have been collecting information and methods of helping to improve his intellectual skills to support him. He has been improving every day and I believe that he will be able to attain all his goals in life. Many obstacles come in his way as well as in ours but I wish to become his strength so that he reaches to the top. Parents of autistic children have to provide greater care to their children and they are also criticized several times by other people who do not understand the depth of this issue. A research conducted in England revealed that one of the biggest obstacles that come in the life of parents of autistic children is the criticism received from the other people owing to the public acts performed by the autistic child like shouting and becoming hyperactive. (Rowan 2012). I have come across this in my life as well but one should not be let down. The national agencies should also support this issue and help families of children suffering from autism by increasing awareness amongst the general masses. Special children in particular autistic children need care and attention. These children can turn out to be very successful individuals and bloom with a high intelligence quotient and success in their life if they are properly guided and trained. Our society needs to be more receptive towards people having special needs as they are also human beings like us and are in possession of a similar genetic code like most of us. These children need greater help and assistance for developing into perfect beings. They should thus be aided in this and they should not be sidelined and neglected. Awareness should be spread on this issue so that other parents also understand that even if their child is autistic, he can lead an absolutely normal life and can bloom and succeed. References Biss,E.(2008, March 17) Relations. Identity Theory. Retrieved from http://www.identitytheory.com/eula-biss-relations/ Rowan, K. (2012, July 12) Parents of autistic kids say: Stop judging us. Today. Retrieved from http://www.today.com/moms/parents-autistic-kids-say-stop-judging-us-878806 Szalavitz, M. (2012a, April 2). Autism: Why Some Children ‘Bloom’ and Overcome Their Disabilities. Time. Health and Family. Retrieved from http://healthland.time.com/2012/04/02/autism-why-some-children-bloom-and-overcome-their-disabilities/ Szalavitz, M. (2012b, September 05). Why autistic kids make easy targets for school bullies. Time. 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