A Friend With Autism, No Different...

A few months ago I met a amazing young boy called Luca; he has become one of my best friends, he is always there if you need help, he has a heart of gold, so kind, understanding and he doesn’t judge you, he also has Asperger’s Autism. When I found out I had to write an essay on Asperger’s I asked him if he was willing to help and I was delighted when he said yes. I learned loads from him. And would like to share some of it with you.

Autism is a disorder of neural development that starts in infancy or childhood. These kids/ people just want to be treated as equal to everyone else. Sometimes they feel insecure because they think that others are intolerant of their condition and therefore have difficulties socialising, they feel like they are constantly being bought down by society and by others their age.

Some individuals with Asperger’s may display intense interests; they collect volumes of detailed information on a narrow topic, without having an understanding of the broader topic. For example: An Autistic child may memorise camera model numbers without having any interest in photography. These interests may change and become more unusual and more narrowly focused. These intense interests are sometime combined with restricted and repetitive patterns in behaviour.

Meltdowns/breakdowns are almost inevitable, no matter what the age, because their senses, especially hearing, sight and smell are heightened. Which makes loud noises become very distressing, they can become very panicked. It’s almost as distressing as a change of or in a routine.

Schools have special units to help autistic kids; but is this a help or a hindrance?  Some say it helps them because they teach other kids about Autism. While others think that by doing this it’s shouting out to the world that they have an issue, it makes some kids feel very uncomfortable,  and feel like aliens.

Luca has taught me a lot, he has an amazing outlook on life, it is an absolute joy talking to him and an honour getting to know him and in my eyes he is no different to any of my other friends.

A massive thank you to Luca, who helped me to understand. Love you! :)