“There is no point in even explaining she is autistic anyways”, most say this thinking there is no harm done behind it. They have just added to a chain that needs to be broken in American society. Today I am observing one of the many marginalized communities in the American mainstream, Teenagers with autism. Throughout the process of choosing a community to observe I was very indecisive and didn’t know which community to focus on I choose to observe this community because I am currently a swim instructor for children and choose to observe this community in hopes of being able to understand and empathize more with children and teens with autism.
The American mainstream neglects to mention or acknowledge the people who battle daily autism. There is no sense of support for them when it comes to today’s societal views that they are “too slow” to function, whereas most autistic people can lead high-functioning lives if they don’t get neglected or separated due to their mental disorders. The Teens with Autism Support Group/Community was created on December 3rd, 2021, by the admin of the group, a 19-year-old male with autism. When he first started this support group his main goal was to build a community of teenagers with autism or others with teens with autism. A way for autistic children to build friendships and learn how to maintain and hold on to lifelong friendships. Facebook Platform brought this community together and you can see how most people in this community all share similar struggles such as building friendships. Today as much as they may not realize or like to admit whenever we encounter an individual on a spectrum without any thought to it, we pursue them as “slow” “incapable” “need assistance” “dependent” and so on. Therefore, we tend to see them as a pity case rather than an equal, therefore we don’t see them as someone you would socialize with. Many autistic children suffer from social interactions in schools. Some schools still have classrooms set up strictly for children on the spectrum. Most autistic children have the same abilities as children who have not been diagnosed with autism. Us doing that as a society does more harm than we would know too many autistic children in the future. When they grow up and hit their teenage years “children with autism who had more exposure to typically developing children were found to engage in more high-level interactions, as compared with children with autism who had no such exposure” (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders). Teenagers who grew up with autism and were put into special education classes in an environment solely with other children on the spectrum struggled with a variety of issues when it came to social interaction and or friendships due to the isolation over the years. Autistic children struggle every day to communicate with others around them due to the lack of attention they receive from individuals who aren’t autistic. “. “Research suggests that impaired social skills are often the most significant challenge for those on the autism spectrum, often affecting the ability to develop and maintain meaningful relationships (UCLA PEERS PROGRAM)”. Autistic teens generally suffer from socialization daily and this is something the social struggles in noticing and engaging in.
Observing the Teens with autism community was such a beneficial and educational advantage. I observed this community from November 15th- November 18th, 2022. I broke apart my interview into 3 different sections for a total of an hour in time. The first day was my initial and main observation which lasted up to 40 min which was on November 15th from 9:00 pm up until about 9:40 pm. In this first initial observation, I observed their sense of community. Most Teens in this support group shared similar characteristics of feeling distant from others, loneliness, and self-insecurity. On November 15th, 2022, at 9; 00 pm I started conducting my observation and this is what I concluded, a mother posted on the platform “This is for all teenagers out there with autism condition or knows someone who has been diagnosed”-Dec 3rd, 2021”. situations about kids with autism.”. Throughout the observation, I concluded that most teenagers with autism all share a similar struggle: socializing and making friends. Parents would come to these support groups to introduce themself and their children and would advocate on behalf of their children because most children with autism struggle with the concept of social communication. Many Autistic teens struggle with friendships because society tends to always reject people on the spectrum. Later on, due to neglect, they fail to operate in the outside world with all the social communication. On November 16th at 10:00 am I also saw the same concern among another teenager “Hello I am 17 and live in London I struggle to make and keep friends because I’m autistic there anyone who would like to be friends and chat? – Oct 28”. Autistic teens all around the world are constantly seeking friends because their environment has made it so hard for them to form any friendships. This community was unique because it was run by an autistic teen, and within the group, most conversations are conducted and held directly by the child themself unless other circumstances occur then a parent would speak on behalf of their child, but at the end, the goal was for teenagers with autism to start building meaningful relationships. When first going into this community I had looked at the rules and within joining this community you had to be a teenager with autism or a parent of one, Respectful, Empathetic and no disrespect was tolerated. I proceed with my observations. On the last day of my observation, I conducted a mother came on the platform in hopes of seeking aid on how to help her son in high school make friends as he struggles with his social skills due to autism, “My son 17 high functioning on the spectrum he begged me to help him find friends he says when other kids find out he has autism they call him stupid or crazy and he was so depressed today when he came home from school he was crying”. Other teens would discredit their classmates if they were on the spectrum therefore, they would never be able to engage in any social interaction later in their lives without battling social deficits. A researcher had said, “Specific social deficits among individuals with ASD (autism spectrum disorders) often include (but are not limited to) poor social communication, impaired social cognition, and lack of understanding of social cues” (Springer Science UCLA Programs). My final observation concluded that many teenagers with autism 95% of the chance suffer from social deficits due to the lack of social communication given and received in their childhood lives (UCLA Programs). I was also very intrigued about how wide the spectrum of autism ranges. There are many different illnesses under the term Autism, we generally just say “oh he has autism” and never “oh he has Asperger” (which is a type of autism).
After Finishing my observations, I was genuinely surprised and disappointed to be part of such a society and generation. Growing up I wasn’t even aware of the actions we had done to our uneducated minds. We choose to push people away because of their differences which can cause certain people to be affected by it in the long run, whereas we should be encouraging each other’s differences. We as a society need to start realizing that at the end of the day every human being deserves respect and to be acknowledged. I was also very intrigued about how wide the spectrum of autism ranges. There are many different illnesses under the term Autism, we generally just say “oh he has autism” and never “oh he has Asperger’s” (which is a type of autism). I was disturbed to see all the words that were said to these kids while they were in school by kids who are supposed to be mature enough to know what should and should not be said. Overall, Teens with autism are often overlooked and should not be society plays a role in each other’s futures, therefore don’t minimize people’s futures just because they may need a little more assistance and guidance than you may need.
Works Cited Page:
Online Safety for Children and Teens on the Autism Spectrum: A Parent’s and Carer’s Guide. Shibboleth authentication request. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2022, from https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=59bd6a28-3a22-4c5e-bec2-8985db85dd98%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3D%3D#AN=879582&db=e000xna
Shibboleth authentication request. Shibboleth Authentication Request. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2022, from https://link-springer-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/
Shibboleth authentication request. Shibboleth Authentication Request. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2022, from https://link-springer-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/
