(Photo courtesy of Alice Hewitt)
The Autism Epidemic
1 in 100
1 in 88
1 in 50
a crime
an epidemic
a conspiracy you say
i don’t know what to call it
but one day we might outnumber you
and we have not forgotten the way you treated us
we count our dead as you count us
1 in 100
1 in 88
1 in 50
keep counting
- Alice Hewitt aged 17
(reprinted with permission)
The young woman who wrote this fantastic poem is Alice
Hewitt a 17 year old English girl with Autism. Her Tumblr page
is all about how it feels to be a student with autism. She pulls
no punches in highlighting the negative aspects of her
condition. Much like Carly Fleischmann, who we learned
about earlier, people with autism have varying abilities in
communicating with others. Expressive and receptive
language, as well as pragmatics is affected by the condition.
communicating with others. Expressive and receptive
language, as well as pragmatics is affected by the condition.
Expressive Communication involves sending a message to
another person or persons to do one of two things:
1. Make something happen
2. Stop something that is already happening
The specific challenges and behaviors that students with
have include:
Repetitive or rigid language: Students may speak things
that have no meaning or context. They may also repeat
words or numbers. They may also exhibit a robotic
intonation in their words.
Poor nonverbal conversation skills: Students with autism
often do not gesticulate as they speak. They also have
trouble establishing and/or maintaining eye contact. When
frustration sets in, they may act out vocally with loud bursts or
exhibit other disruptive behaviors.
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