Varieties of Interacting with World

Whoa. As a teenager, I worked with autistic children as a day camp counselor. Nothing was harder. I was given instructions on what to do and how to behave with them and how they would behave with me. Not being able to connect with these kids was complete torture for me. Especially when I could, in comparision, fully express myself in relation to the other so called, normal children. I remember with joy and affection how I was able to be a friend and playmate, (I was little more than a child myself at sixteen), to the other children. But the autistic children were seemingly unreachable. Odd motor behaviours, strange repetitive movements and sounds – I had no idea how I was supposed to react. There was no yardstick for knowing whether I was doing the right thing or not.

So it comes as a great surprise and revelation to me that though the autistic interact with their world differently than I do, they have no less awareness about that experience than I have about mine.

If you have not seen it – you must watch this video. You can also supplement that experience with this article from the March issue of Wired.

Photo credit: Jessica Dimmock.