Learning from people on the Autism Spectrum

Too often I believe people on the Autism Spectrum are the forgotten about and most isolated in society. Rather than trying to understand and learn from these people, society instead wants to put them onto medication and not fully utilise their true potential, abilities or talents. Not all persons on the Autism Spectrum are geniuses and more importantly, not all are good at mathematics or science. I know from my own personal experience that being on the Autism Spectrum allows me to focus more on the detail. Whereas society in general tends to look over or not focus on the minute problems that exist. As a person on the Autism Spectrum having Asperger Syndrome, I have a mind set for errors.

In Australia, we live in a society that tends to have too much choice and we often do not realise just how lucky we are! We can drive our car in our city or around our country, we can enter a supermarket and purchase food items and other necessities. However, society does not always want to open its mind to understanding the bigger picture and the attributes or contributions of others. When you see a person on the Autism Spectrum, try to understand them and take the time to listen. You may not be overly interested in some of their special interests, but by becoming involved in their special interest you may even find yourself expanding your own knowledge on a particular subject. Tell our schools to include persons with Autism and more importantly inform potential employers of the advantages of employing a person on the Autism Spectrum. There is so much more to be gained.

When you talk to a person on the Autism Spectrum whether they be child or adult, you find out many varied and interesting special interests. You can learn from a 8 year Autistic boy about physics, you may even hear about experiments or other subjects never known about before. Schools need to come on board and stop alienating people on the Autism Spectrum because children do not fit into the mainstream education. Change has to occur and it has to happen fast!