Persuasive Speech About Autism

I bet you’ve seen at least one before. You know, those articles on the news about someone with autism, doing something amazing that any typical person would never envision them doing. Getting elected homecoming king, being on a cheerleading team, or carrying out an act of kindness that even non-autistic people wouldn’t ever consider are just some of the things that I’ve seen. Though these are spectacular self-esteem lifters for these individuals, warm and fuzzy stories for the public and excellent publicity for wherever they occur, many often forget that autism is a spectrum condition, and functioning levels vary, from wheelchair bound individuals to those in society whose names everyone recognizes.

Autism. To some people it can be just a word, or a disorder. What Autism means to me, is being able to be closer to my little brother. My 7 year old brother has Autism and that doesn’t define him as a human being, his capabilities defines who he is. He is the reason why I am where I am today, a paraeducator that thrives to help kids in need. Being a paraeducator, our job is to help our students become more independent to prepare them for the real world after school. In order to get a student to be an independent person, is to use strategies. A few strategies I would use is how to properly use fidgets, what the social norm is and ways to improve, and the four questions for a structured task.

“Work to view my autism as a different ability rather than a disability. Look past what you may see as limitations and see the gifts autism has given me…Be my advocate, be my friend, and we’ll see just how far we can go” –Ellen Botbohm, author of Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew.

In first grade I had a very hard time with a teacher in school. The teacher would yell at me a lot. The teacher did not understand me. I would get angry and frustrated and I would throw desk and chairs. In third grade I was diagnosed with autism. I started reading in kindergarten. By the end of my first grade year I could not read any more. My mom was worried.

Autism, a developmental disorder is becoming widely diagnosed here in the U.S. and throughout the world affecting children in all different types of backgrounds. From children living in rural or urban, rich or poor. Currently there are many speculations and superstitions as to the causes for developing autism but science has no clear evidence as to why autism affects certain people and not others, autism can greatly affect the families and its patients for their entire lives. Most of you do not know that I have twin younger brothers with Autism. Before this speech, I had no clue what autism really was. Through my research I am now able to relay this information to you. Today I want to talk about Autism. The three things I will be speaking about is what is Autism? How does autism affect the family and how does autism affect people who have it?

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.

Let’s say you have a box of crayons. It represents ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), now inside the box you have different colors of crayons. Each color/crayon is a different disorder. The color we want to talk about today is teal, the official color for autism. Stuart Duncan once said, “Autism, like a rainbow, has a bright side and a dark side and even though it can mean rough waters it can be beautiful.” Autism isn’t a label, it’s a diagnoses. People with autism can be just as successful as neurotypical people. People with autism have been the subject of stereotypes and neglect for decades. Only in the last 150 years or so have things started to change. We don’t know what causes autism, but thanks to increased research and awareness we’re making more progress than ever. People with autism face many challenges everyday, autism is a spectrum. It’s not the same for everyone. Due to it being a spectrum it can be hard for people without autism to understand the challenges autistic people face, and how to go about interacting with autistic people. There are lots of autistic people worldwide, it’s time we start making them feel more like people.

The Case of Temple Grandin paints a picture of a young woman’s determination and hard work while struggling with autism during a time when the disorder was unknown. This case discusses Grandin’s challenges, early diagnosis, growth and development in school, and support from her mother. Temple Grandin could not speak like the other children at the age of two, so because doctors could not find any physical issues she had been subsequently labeled as brain-damaged. To communicate with others, she would throw tantrums and scream. She could speak by three and a half years old with the help of speech therapy. A few years later at the age of five, Grandin was diagnosed with autism so her mother worked with her 30

“Don’t think that there is a different, better child ‘hiding’ behind the autism. This is your child. Love the child in front of you. Encourage his strengths, celebrate his quirks, and improve his weaknesses, the way you would with any child. You may have to work harder on some of this, but that’s the goal,” Claire Scovell LaZebnik wrote of living with a child who has autism. Autism has been made to look like a grand epidemic. Autism is nothing of the kind. There are plenty of people with autism that are high-functioning and can live on their own, and autism is made to seem like a bigger deal than it is. Many would argue that medicines are needed to treat autism, that autism needs to be ended. There is always a better way.

Just imagine your child was diagnosed of having autism. The realization of your child perhaps being autistic may be lurid. You now know that your child will be found with many challenges, and may have a severe difficulty making sense of the world. Autism is an illness that can affect your communication, socialization, intelligence, and you may act in many unusual behaviors. To try to help an autistic child is being very courageous. Having a child, who is autistic, will be a struggle throughout both of your lives. There’s one charity that has supported and has raised a lot of money for research, families, and hope for a cure.

Before doing the research on autism spectrum disorder I thought it was a disease, but not I know it’s a disorder. Autism has actually become a very common disorder and has also became well known. After my speech I hope to have given you guys a better understanding about this disorder so when you guys see the puzzled ribbon you have a clue of what it is.

At first, my parents were concerned as to what our life would turn into. The first few years after the diagnosis would prove to be some of the most difficult. Generally speaking, the average 2-year-old should be able to speak basic sentences. Rhett could barely formulate simple words such as milk at the age of 3 (1). The remedy for this was many sessions with a speech pathologist, both via the *para (an organization meant to help children and adults with developmental disabilities such as autism) school and outside of it. Unbeknownst to all of us, Rhett actually knew the words and sentence structure, he just could not communicate

There is much speculation over whether or not vaccinations can lead to autism. Many people are concerned that autism may be linked to vaccines in the ingredients in them that children receive. Although there are many who support this theory, biology has shown that there is no link between vaccinations and autism. The fact that there is no relation between vaccinations and autism has been proved time and time again through many scientists including those who work with the CDC- Center for Disease Control and many other medical professionals.

Autistic infants often show little or no interest in other people and lack typical social behaviors. For example, they may not smile at their mother's voice or make eye contact with caregivers. Autistic children fail to develop normal relationships with their parents, brothers or sisters, and other children. Often they seem unaware of the needs and feelings of other people, and may not respond if another person is hurt or in distress. They also fail to make friends.

Autism Speaks. (2012). The Federal Response to Autism. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from HYPERLINK "http://www.autismspeaks.org" http://www.autismspeaks.org.