Personal Narrative: Rare Case Of Autism

In Catherine Maurice’s novel “Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family’s Triumph Over Autism” Marc and Catherine Maurice are the parents of three children, two of which, Anne Marie and Michel, have autism, whereas the eldest of the three children, Daniel, does not. Catherine Maurice first had Daniel, and all was well with him, as it was for her second child, Anne Marie, at least for a little while. Between the time Anne Marie turned one and when she turned two, her parents started to notice some behaviors that were not normal, like repeating behaviors, or a lack of communication skills. They receive a diagnosis of autism for Anne Marie and their world is turned upside down. They go to a number of doctors and are presented with the same bleak outlook from each one. Catherine however decided to search for her own answers and discovers behavioral therapy, and hires a therapist named Bridget to work with Anne Marie. As well as Bridget, Catherine found a supporter of holding therapy, Dr. Welch. With intense training, Anne Marie begins to move away from some of her problem behaviors. At first, Catherine believed that Dr. Welch’s holding therapy was the answer, but she eventually realized that Dr. Welch was a self serving therapist that was more concerned with her own status. As things are finally beginning to improve for the family, Catherine starts to worry about her next child, Michel. At first, the concern level was relatively low due to the fact that Michel was more outgoing and

Originally, I was drawn to speech pathology after my sister’s diagnosis of Autism at the age of three. Watching Diane struggle with language development and acquisition while other children seemed to grasp these skills naturally is what initially sparked my interest in helping families like my own. At the start of my junior year, I set out to obtain experiences working with different populations. Toward the latter half of junior year, I became involved as a clerical volunteer at the Sacramento Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center. By senior year, I was balancing a full course load alongside three volunteer experiences. In addition to Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center, I divided my time between tutoring at a neighboring elementary school in the Twin Rivers School District and serving as an intern at the Autism Center for Excellence (ACE). During my undergraduate experience, I welcomed the opportunity to work with students that struggled with literacy, language, and pragmatic skills. After graduation, it was my goal to obtain additional experience in the field as a speech-language pathology assistant.

I was diagnosed with Autism when I was 2 years old and it has affected my entire life more than anything else I have experienced. It has impacted the way I socialize and communicate with people, the way I think and understand the world,and it also affected my speech and development when I was younger. Autism also affects the way other people see me and I’m often misunderstood. I don’t remember everything about my life at that time, but I do know that I struggled a lot to get to where I am today. I’m also aware that it will impact my future and force me to work harder than my peers. Even though I have Autism, I will always know that it doesn’t define who I am and that I will improve no matter what.

When I first found out my brother had autism, I didn’t know what to think. At first I blamed myself because I spent a lot of time with him ever since he was born, showing him how to use iPads, computers, and other electronics and I thought these things had something to do with it. Even after people have been telling me that there is no clear cause for autism, to this day I still can’t help but think that I had something to do with my brother’s disorder. As his older brother though I promised myself that I would do whatever it takes to help my brother live with his disorder and still become a functional member of society. My family started by placing my brother under Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. The therapy sessions took place at

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain. Waiting for the tests results, I find myself flushed; perhaps my blood pressure is rising. Sitting in a small windowless office set off from the main waiting room my knee begins to bounce in anxiety. This was the moment of truth. I’m awaiting the results to find out if Lillianna tested positive for Autism. I stand up and begin to pace hoping the colorful pictures on walls that were designed to relax and entertain kids will have the same affect on me. My mind begins to relive this epic battle I have found myself on; the battle of strength and acceptance of my daughter Lillianna, as I become her voice in the face of this disorder.

“Being yourself” is one of the most common ideologies promoted to students at young ages by their teachers and parents. If this ideology is true, then why are so many students being bullied physically, verbally, and virtually for being themselves? Moreover, assuming a student does not have the ability to change himself in physical and mental respects, how can he overcome his hardships? I would now like to move onto an incident where I was ruthlessly bullied for being autistic. It was in the 5th grade, I was the only South Asian student, and the area I had been living in was predominantly inhabited with people of Caucasian background. That being said, it was generally hard for my classmates to socialize with me, in addition to the fact that I was suffering from autism.

The ability to express your feelings seems effortless for teenagers with the existence of "tweeting", blogging, and updating a Facebook status, but for those with autism it is demanding. Loud noises, accidental touches and even an indifferent expression may send an autistic child into a nerve-wracking state. My best friend is autistic; however, I never saw him as different. I am always there for him whether it is on the sidelines for the Special Olympics or whenever he is having a bad day. I am his cheerleader, just as he is mine. I have always been inspired by him to make the world a better place. Seeing him compete in the Special Olympics with his peers inspires others who might not fit in to find a place. There is a home for everybody and little did I know I was about to find mine.

Years ago, I had to go to my biological father’s house during the summer. He had three children, Wyatt, who was 16, Devin, who was 13, and Colton, who was 12. I used to like going to his house during the summer, but after a while it got boring and I saw unfair treatment among his children. I didn’t want to go to his house anymore, so I talked to him about it. That conversation changed my life for the better.

The greatest change in the diagnostic demographics of developmental disabilities in the last 25 years is the emergence of autism spectrum disorder as a primary disability condition. (Boyd, B. A., Odom, S. L., Humphreys, B. P., Sam A.M., 2010). Autism affects numerous amounts of children each year, approximately 1 in every 88 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (CDC 2012).

Autism is a term many have heard but not many know what it entails. I chose to learn more about autism because I have seen many people with this disability and want to learn more about it. My first college roommate has? autism and I was bothered by her actions that I had to move to a different room the next semester. I was able to interview her and get her take on autism and how it affects her life and daily tasks. I interviewed a college student named Ana and she had many views and opinions on her disability and how it makes her not only different but unique. She is studying Spanish and meteorology and has love for both. She loves sharing about herself she is bilingual and says that meteorology is her ‘‘favorite thing in the whole world’’.

I remember my high school days where I used to not take school as seriously as I should've. I had a 1.76 GPA when I graduated in 2013. I was just busy looking at sport websites like ESPN and tweeting on a regular basis. I hated school so much that I never wanted to come back ever.

Let me hear your voice a family's triumph over autism Summary Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph Over Autism by Catherine Maurice is a heart-wrenching story about a family's attempt to help two of their children, Anne Marie and Michel, recover from autism. Diagnosed early, both children were given little chance of success, but through a combination of behavioral therapy and precipitate will, their family and therapists helped them to attain normalcy. It is a story of ache, attempt, love, and faith that lends hope to families of autistic children throughout the world. Catherine Maurice, a devoted mother of Daniel, gives birth to Anne Marie, and all is well for several months.

Autism was first presented in 1943 by Leo Kanner when he was conducting a several children study; he later described the children as having withdrawn behaviour. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the suitable treatments used in behavioural therapy were focused on medications such as LSD and electrical shock as a form of pain and punishment (WebMD Medical Reference, 2014).

Autism is a complex disability, as the way it manifests in each child differs in severity across numerous characteristics. Children diagnosed with autism qualify to receive special services and a “free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment” under the federal legislation, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Hunt & Marshall, 2012, p. 15). Autism was added to IDEA in 1990 as a new disability category. The legislation defines autism as “a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age 3 that adversely affects a child’s educational performance” (Hunt & Marshall, 2012, p. 301). The “Rules for the Provision of Special Education” from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction of Washington state also outlines eligibility and individualized education programs for children diagnosed with autism (Rules for the Provision of Special Education, p. 11 & 46). Furthermore, the DSM diagnoses autism when a child shows “qualitative impairments” in social interaction, communication, and “restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities” (Hunt & Marshall, 2012, p. 302).

Cody is an eight-year-old boy diagnosed with autism. Cody tends to perseverant on things that are dangerous. He often verbalizes “glass is dangerous, it cuts your eye, call 211, go to the hospital.” Cody also tends to stare off into space and is socially inappropriate.