Autism and Secondary Education

 


Autism and Secondary Education


In society we are taught to believe that there is a correct way to develop neurologically, that there’s a right way for our brains to work – the ‘normal’ way. We are taught that any other way of developing is wrong and needs to be treated and fixed. In November 2021, when I was 17 years old, I was diagnosed with autism and although it took a while for me to understand my new diagnosis, I soon realised that it was the best thing to ever happen to me. Finding out that I was autistic brought me an overwhelming sense of relief and suddenly everything in my life up to that point made sense. Just like Liane Holliday Willey says in her book ‘pretending to be normal’, I felt like “I had finally reached the end of my race to be normal. And that was exactly what I needed. A finish – an end to the pretending that had kept me running in circles” for 17 years of my life. Like I’ve mentioned, it took me a while to come to terms with my autism diagnosis, and like anyone who has been diagnosed, I had many questions circling my mind that I didn’t know the answers to. I had numerous good relationships with teachers from my secondary school, and quite honestly, I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for the support and guidance they gave me throughout my school years. When I first received my diagnosis, one of these teachers put me in touch with our school SENDCo. It’s clear to say that ever since our first meeting, she changed my perception on what autism is and what it meant for me and my life. Although I got on with many teachers in school, it was nice to be able to speak to someone each week who I genuinely felt understood me and how I thought and acted. She helped me push myself out of my comfort zone and each week I was excited to tell her about something new I had achieved. There was a time where I saw her in the corridor, and I told her that I had been in the study room (something that we had been talking and working towards for weeks), her reaction was one that I will forever remember – she was genuinely so proud of me. It’s teachers like these that every autistic child needs, someone who they know will be proud of them for every little step that they take – this is what made me want to push myself out of my comfort zone more and more - I knew that each time I did, I was not only making someone proud but I was proving to myself that with a little help and support, I too could do things that all my life had seemed impossible.

After my diagnosis at the age of 17, I became so much more aware of why I felt and acted certain ways in certain situations. Within school I was able to observe and watch how uneducated society is around autism. I realised that the education system has so many gaps when it comes to supporting and teaching young people on the spectrum. Society needs a fundamental change in the way we think about autism, we need to recognise that ‘acting less weird’ is not the best outcome for an autistic person. Teachers need to be taught ways to teach, aid and guide those on the spectrum in order to help individuals with autism to live long, happy and fulfilling lives whilst being understood and accepted for who they are. No autistic person should be made to think that they have to act differently to be understood and accepted. No autistic person should be made to feel that they have to hide their true personality and who they really are because of the fear of being judged or mocked. This was something that took me a while to accept, especially within school. It is common for people with autism to mask the way they act in order to fit in and feel accepted, not only in education but in society as a whole. This needs to change, I was born to be different, to be real and not perfect. Although I may sometimes struggle to find my place in this world, it is no fault of mine, and the world needs to change so that others like me don’t have to struggle to find their place anymore. Everyone has the right to figure out their own normal. Autism is invisible but peoples reactions to it are not. Being disabled is not a choice but peoples acceptance is. People need to be more educated; society needs to be more accepting and autistic people need to more understood because I am not disabled by my autism, I am disabled by my surroundings. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I get you - poem

Image
I get you You’re not alone when you think that everyone around you has something better to be doing than listening to your problems – I get you. You’re not alone when you think that you’re wasting everyone’s time. You’re not alone on the sleepless nights or the long walks that have recently become part of your daily routine. Something so integral that keeps you on the right path. You’re not alone when the frustrations of not being able to explain how you're feeling take over – I get you. You’re not alone when the feeling of shame and thoughts of letting people down fill your mind. You’re not alone in the times where you find it really difficult to imagine a future, where you get yourself so worked up about change and not wanting to move on. You’re not alone when a good day can suddenly turn negative and the confusion of not understanding why can leave you angry and upset – I get you. You’re not alone when a situation or circumstance can leave you wishing you were different, wishing...
Read more

To the voice on my shoulder

Image
  To the voice on my shoulder You sat on my shoulder and made me feel bad, Every little thing that went wrong you made me get so mad. Made me act in a way that wasn’t like me, Repeatedly told me I was no longer free. It soon became apparent that you meant what you said, Just after two weeks I began to believe everything you read. When I tried to find peace you sat on my shoulder, Throwing words at me that hit like a boulder. Words that pushed me back a step or two, Words that often made me question if it was me talking or you. You made me weak you pushed me down, Made me change, made me frown. You questioned me when I tried to do something good, Leaving me wondering if I was actually capable of what I thought I could. I believed every word you said, I followed the routes and paths you led. You told me I was thick, that I let everyone down, Told me I was pointless and that I had to change my life around. That I had to do this, and I had to do that, Everything right and in your exact...
Read more

How my autism diagnosis changed me

Image
How my autism diagnosis changed me. When I was first diagnosed with autism, I was determined to not let my diagnosis change who I was. People close to me reassured me by saying things like I was still the same person. At the time this did help me accept and come to terms with my diagnosis. However, looking back now I think it is unfair to say to people going through an autism assessment/ diagnosis process, that an autism diagnosis doesn’t change you, that you’re still the same person after you’ve been diagnosed. Of course, it doesn’t change you physically, it’s not something that people can suddenly see - for a lot of individuals with autism, people wouldn’t be able to tell they were autistic. But I don’t think I’d be being honest if I said that my diagnosis hasn’t changed me. In truth it has. It’s allowed me to understand myself a lot better. It’s offered an explanation for the things that I find difficult. It’s made my whole life make sense. If I hadn’t been diagnosed with autism t...
Read more