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Foreword • Autism is a developmental disability that affects approximately 1 out of every 500 births (US Centers for Disease Control). Autistics can vary greatly in abilities and behavior, but there are some behaviors that are particularly widespread among the autistic population and are used to diagnose the condition. There are also many disorders that show up more frequently among autistics, but are not identified with autism. Adam, the boy in this story, is considered a “high functioning autistic” as he is able to attend a normal school and take classes at his grade level. Like many autistics, Adam has a lot of trouble breaking routines or dealing with change. He often seems to be in “his own world” and unresponsive to the environment. He is oversensitive to touch and other movements, sounds, and sights: he hates touching and can get very disoriented when his senses take in too much information. Adam also has intense preoccupations with certain patterns and objects, like tile floors and sunlight. He does not look people in the eye when speaking with them, and often seems to tune people out. When upset, he can also become very violent. He has impaired language abilities and sometimes has difficulty transferring his attention from one thing to another. Adam, like many autistics, seems to lack “theory of mind,” or the understanding that other people have their own plans, thoughts, and points of view. This explains his inability to lie or fudge the truth, because he does not understand that while one thing may be true, the other person may ‘think’ something else. He does not understand the impact his words will have on people’s emotions and he may have trouble playing games that involve trickery. Adam also has face blindness (Prosopagnosia), a very common occurrence among autistics. He processes faces in the same part of the brain that he processes objects (most people process faces separately), so he has trouble telling people apart. Adam is an autistic savant, meaning he has extraordinary mental abilities in a particular area. Adam can calculate numbers in his head at amazing speeds, relatively common savant ability. Autistics are often associated with savant syndrome, but in reality, less than 10% of autistics have savant abilities. This is still a very high percentage compared to the rest of the population, however. Adam is not representative of all autistics, but looking at Adam’s life may give a better idea of what it is like to live with autism.
Bibliography • “Autism.” Wikipedia. 30 Jan. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism>. Information confirmed by Encyclopedia Britannica. • Edelson, Stephen. “Autistic Savant.” Center for the Study of Autism. 30 Jan. 2007 <http://www.autism.org/savant.html>. • - - -. “Lying in Autism: A Cognitive Milestone .” Center for the Study of Autism. 30 Jan. 2007 <http://www.autism.org/lying.html>. • - - -. “Theory of Mind.” Center for the Study of Autism. 30 Jan. 2007 <http://www.autism.org/mind.html>. • Smith, Joel. this way of life. 30 Jan. 2007 <http://thiswayoflife.org/index.html>. • Williams, Donna. Nobody nowhere: the extraordinary autobiography of an autistic. New York: Times Books, 1992.
