Oct222011
Anything But Typical

POSTED AT 02:14 PM

Autism is a difficult subject for some to talk about.  It can be the elephant in the room that people want to avoid, whether they are not very educated on the subject or want to avoid hurting someone's feelings.  We started the year off reading Anything but Typical because at Mountview we are a diverse community.  We are not the most diverse community when it comes to race, but we are a diverse community when it comes to learning.  We all learn in different ways.  There are some who are visual learners - you prefer to be shown in pictures or words how to do something.  There are some who are auditory learners - you learn best when you are told the information.  Some of you are kinesthetic learners which means you need to get up and do it - hands on.  There are many more different types of learning styles, but we all find ways to succeed.  We find it difficult to grasp a concept when the information is not presented the way we know best.  Now image that no matter how that information was presented; it looked, sounded, or just seemed strange.  Imagine looking at something and thinking that you got it, only to have everyone else come up with a different answer, and no matter how hard you tried to get it; it escaped you. 

Autism is often confused with mental illness.  That is so wrong.  It is not an illness.  It is simply a different way of looking at the world and processing information.  It is different from how most people process information regardless of learning style.  There are degrees of that exist on a spectrum.  Image a half of a pie, cut into small slices, and as you move from right to left around the pie, with each piece you move along the spectrum and the severity of the disorder increases.  There are some people who have autism, and you would never even now it by looking at them, and sometimes would never know it.  This is surprising to many because I think when many people think of autism, they think of mental handicaps including Down Syndrome.  They are not related. There are signs of autism that can be seen.  In our book, Jason does many things that make him stand out.  He makes faces, flaps his hands, pulls his hair, and rocks himself in rhythm.  He requires structure, dislikes loud noises, surprises or changes in routine, chaos, and certain textures.  But one thing we did learn is that Jason is extremely bright. 

There are so many misconceptions about autism that I hope we can get past.  The more we educate ourselves to the truth, the more we accept people's differences, the tighter of a community we will be.  The more we accept the diversity that our school and town offer us the more we open up ourselves to new and great friendships and a brighter and more tolerant future.

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Comments

 
  • Wendy S.

    I have noticed a lot of people treating kids with autism or something close to that like they didn't have feelings, or like they are not smart, just because they sometimes don't respond to people talking to them. It's definetly not true, especially because some kids with autism are very, very good at math, or language arts, or other subjects, more than other people. People treat them differently just because they have a different way of thinking and acting. It's not fair, and people should change that.

    10/22/2011 7:14:24 PM
  • andrew d

    i agree with you completely on this. so many people confuse autism with other learning disibility or way of learning. its saad that this is such a big part of our lives and yet, so many people in society are not educated on the matter at all.

    10/22/2011 11:00:55 PM
  • Olivia P

    Exactly...when people think of Autism they think of a kid who looks different then them, thinks different then them, and does somethings that makes people say.."what is wrong with that kid" or stare at them..or talk about the kid in a mean way. There is the opposite of that were you wouldn't even know that they had autism. If someone is different then them because they have something wrong with them you treat them with the same kind of respect. As Mr.Fredette said Autism is a different way of seeing the world. In the book Anything but Typical Jason flaps his hands,pulls his hair,and makes faces. Jason most of the time can't control himself. Jason's mom just wants to fix him. But, you can't.Once u have it u can not cure it.

    10/23/2011 3:14:23 PM
  • Lynnsey M.

    I think it is horrable that people make fun of other people who have autism.I think that everybody should know that autism is just a diffrent way of looking at somthing,NOT a mental illness.It would be better if more people were aware and understanding of what autism really is.People with autism should be treated just like everyone else.

    10/23/2011 4:27:59 PM
  • Chloe Mascitelli LA 3/4

    I agree. It can be hard to understand that sort of thing. People might look at someone like Jason, think he is weird and never talk to him in his life, which could make that person lose out on a chance to have a new best friend or buddy, or even just a person to know.

    10/23/2011 4:50:36 PM
  • josh b

    I feel the same way. If people dont accept each other, you could loose a great future. Jackie Robinson never broke the barrior, Martin Luther king Jr never said what he said. For all we know it could still be like that today. learning may have stayed in a couple ways. What would happen if everyone acted the same way, learned the same way. Then comes a couple people who dont learn a thing the way everyone else does, act totally different from the others. Would society be as it is today, or worse. How would people excel at one thing, and be bad at others. everyone would be the same skill, same attributes. If no one discovered these diseases would they be treated as part of the society, or the scum of it. Thats what i feel.

    10/23/2011 5:59:51 PM
  • caitlin m.

    i agree that most people do look on the outside of someone and not on the inside. just by looking at the way someone dresses, talks, or acts cant predict the exact truth of whats on the inside of them. people need to dig deeper to know the true self of someone. my nieghbor has autism but im not sure how high or low he is the spectrum. sometimes he flaps his hands like jason does in the book Anything But Typical. (so to speak) my nieghbor talks in his own language. he says dedede when he wants to go jump on the trampalene. sometimes he can reconive people when he sees them but not always. in Anything But Typical i think that Aaron sees the inside of Jason and doesnt mind the outside. i have never thought about how people have different learning styles, but now i am. i am going to try different learning styles to see how hard each one is for me.

    10/23/2011 6:18:48 PM
  • will g.

    I agree with lyndsey. People with autism shouldn't feel left out,but people with out autism think there stupid and start bulliying them. People with autism can be very smart because they have a different way of looking at things.

    10/23/2011 7:19:41 PM
  • jackb

    I agree that some people see autism and bully the person but some people realy treat autism like a cut on your arm they dont care if you have autism are not.

    10/23/2011 8:16:47 PM
  • Ryan

    I think that reading Anything But Typical is very interesting. I even asked my parents if they would read it. Before then I really didn't know anything about autism. I don't think it is fair that people like Jason are treated differently. They're still humans who have feelings. Still some people treat those people like they don't have any feelings at all. I think that the world would be a much better place if everyone was treated equal.

    10/24/2011 6:58:16 AM
  • olivia

    I don't get how people can be so mean and single kids out. Instead of letting them sit with them or talk to them.

    10/24/2011 7:13:37 AM
  • Maggie W.

    I agree with Ryan that any one that is mentaly challanged or has special needs should be treated as a normal person. They are people too and they may be a little different but this does not make them stupid it just makes them a little special in their own way.

    10/24/2011 3:36:37 PM
  • Savanna P

    Why does it matter if someone looks different than you? You should not avoid them because it! Thats acaully really cool if you start your own trend. austimus is a (they call it) a disability. Its not. Like Mr. Fredette said it is a differt way of looking at something or someone.Every one looks at things differtly so why do they group that into a disorder or disability?
    When i become a doctor or a nurse i want to study "disabilties" such as autisum, down snydrome ect. I promise if i become a doctor or nurse (which i want to be) i will put my input on autisum and so called "disorders" and try to change that. People should not call that what they call it. I know people dont feel as strongly aboit it as i do but i feel very strong about that.
    Infact, in seminar Ms.Huges made us make a pat to ourseves and to not use the word retarded. That is exterly insensitive! I know everyone says that well not evreyone but most people do. And so i looked up a video and learned more about that useage of the R word as i am now calling it. How would you feel if people said that in their everryday speech about a "disorder" that YOU have? And call yourself or other people a "disorder" that you have. Really how that make you feel?? So i thougth about that and stopped useing words like gay,retarded,and hurtful words. I know people think thats weird that people are making such a big a deal about words. But a quote on T.V i saw said "there's a thin line between WORDS and WOUNDS." I would like to end my blog comment with that.

    10/24/2011 3:36:55 PM
  • sam m.

    I have seen people treat people that have a disability like they are from another planet. I think that should stop because every one is different in there own way. Some people are smarter then others. Some people are better then others at sports but to think that some one with autism is not smart at all is wrong. Every one that is responding to this blog is reading Every Thing But Typical. We all know that Jason is very smart and he has autism. As Mr.Fredette said people with autism are said to be not smart at all there are wrong people with autism are smart they just see things differently then as Jason would say N.T's would.

    10/24/2011 3:45:48 PM
  • Victoria S

    In the past there have been kids in my class who had something similar to Jason's autism. I felt awful for them because whenever they would walk by classmates,my classmates would murmer to their friends ''sped''. I felt that my friends and I were the only ones that had the heart to ask them to play. Some people would use and make them go get stuff for them if they were to lazy to go get it themselves. The thing I felt most awful about was when we invited them to play people would start watching and laughing like it was a joke. I feel that autism is just a different way of learning. And even if their facial expression is different, on the inside we're all the same.

    10/24/2011 4:51:53 PM
  • Caitlyn N.

    I
    agree completely. I think it is wrong that people look at kids with autism so differently. Also that people treat them badly like say mean things about them behind there back or don't except them for who they are. I think that people should step up and be more like Aaron.

    10/24/2011 4:54:36 PM
  • sammi c

    now to this blog i can relate with my cousin brett and how sometime people back away slowly and have a discusted look on their faces and it hurts me badly even its not me but i can sometimes act like that and people just back away slowly and act all mean. even though brett has autisum, he still is a normal person with a different point of view like every one else but sometimes he can say what pops out of his mind even when it doesnt have any to do with the topic that me and the others are talking about something, but in a way, we all have a little atisum in our bodys that have a efect on all of our live somehow.

    10/24/2011 5:12:37 PM
  • marilyn c.

    i think when most people just single the other people out when they have a learning disorder they do it because they dont no what to do or they don't like you because their different but what people dont understand is they don't think that if you say the tiniest little thing about a person with a learning disorder wont pick pick up on what you say but , they will just because they have a learning disorder dosn't mean they don't know whats going on . people somtimes don't perposly say mean things because you realy have to wach what you say because even the tiniest thing can make anyone feel bad

    10/24/2011 6:00:02 PM
  • Zoe

    I understand what you mean when you say how its hard for people to talk about autism. I can relate to this because someone I know has autism but not severe. She and her family dont talk much about it around her home but I can see it in her and she told me to. By the way she acts,like for example:taps foot on floor,waves her hands in the air and jumps around when she is nervous. My freind has a lot of happines though in her she looks past her autism and always has a smile on her face :).Thats how i can relate to your blog and I can see how its hard to talk about it.

    10/24/2011 6:53:06 PM
  • Livi M.

    People with autism may be different in the sense that they learn differently or not look at you when they talk. They're the same as we are except for some qualities like they may be good at one particular thing and excel in it. It's just by chance that they have autism and you don't. It could be the other way around and would you like it if someone teased you just because of something you were born with and couldn't change? I know I wouldn't.

    10/24/2011 9:14:58 PM
  • Caroline D.

    I dont know why people are mean to kids who have autism or any other thing like that, just because they learn differently than someone else.

    10/25/2011 8:22:52 AM
  • Jaclyn B. 7-1

    I go to my local library once or twice a week to get alot of studying in and there are not to many distraction. One day I saw a young man I'm guessing in his 20's who was with his dad but talking very loudly. It was sad because everyone looked up and just starred at him like he was this animal in the library. And the saddest thing I thought was that even his father wasn't being patient with him he was being kinda mean to him saying like hurry up get your books, he didn't even seem like he was related because he was doing what everyone else was treating like he was a wild animal.

    10/25/2011 8:43:42 AM
  • Kayla

    Having an cousin with autism, I know what they are feeling because when he gets bullied he tells me what he feels inside and i try not to cry and I know I need to help him feel good, but when people bully him i know he can stand up for himself just a little more because what my mom and I say to him. I think it makes him feel good inside and feel like hes one of the cool kids!! I'm happy to have him for a cousin because with out him i wouldn't be able to talk to other people with there problems!Smile

    10/25/2011 3:26:36 PM
  • kayleigh c

    I have heard people talking about certain kids and how they walk or talk or dress and how they probably don't have any friends. But i never answer because you don't no at all what is on the inside and if you just get to know someone, you might end up making a new friend. If you are really that shallow to not get to know somebody because of your reputation, than that's just plain mean. I even personally think that Jason was very kind and caring to others in the book but the only one to truly see behind the hair-pulling, hand-flapping outside of Jason was Aaron. After finishing the book today, i defiantly learned something about how to see someone with autism and not miss out on a rich, long-lasting friendship. You just have to look a little deeper inside someone.

    10/25/2011 4:07:22 PM
  • Emma

    I agree with Caitlin M, people are to focused on the way people are on the outside then they truly are on the inside. After reading "Anything But Typical" i realized how it feels to be autistic and how mean and crude people can be. People need to think of how that would make them feel if somebody said something harmful or hurtful to them. My mom always tells me "Treat others the way you would like to be treated." After reading "Anything But Typical" those words meant much more to me then the did before. Anything But Typical really taught me a great lesson and it definitely made me better of a person.

    10/25/2011 4:43:12 PM
  • MATT F

    I agree people with autism are always left out and are bullied. Others think that just because the look different they are not smart but that isn't right they just have a different way of looking. Not every one is smart but still they can be.

    10/25/2011 6:44:53 PM
  • Patrick Houlihan

    Early on, my brother was diagnosed with PDD-NOS. He had difficulty with going from one situation to the other. He had repetitive behavior. He lacked facial expressions. He was non-verbal, and he didn't show loving behavior. As a result he was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at the age of 2 and got special services like early intervention and ABA. At the time I didn't notice anything different between him and the other kids. Now he has no diagnosis of anything autism-related and he is VERY VERBAL, he is also spontaneous and empathetic. His characteristics were different from Jason's in Anything But Typical. I really like the book, it provides a great view of Jason's thoughts. It also has a good ending
    just like my brother's

    10/25/2011 6:46:44 PM
  • Alex Z

    I feel that everyone should accept each other for who they are. Even if they have autism or do something to make them stand out, or make them different from other people. If you have autism, you just have a different way of looking at things.

    10/25/2011 7:09:04 PM
  • Olivia P.

    People who have autism get treated differently then other people...and sometimes they might get bullied....Jason doesn't look people in the face because he get distracted by there hair,eyes,mouth,and there expressions. They sometimes have a hard time communicating with other people. I enjoyed reading the end of the book....I loved how they said in the end something on the lines of "I like i way i am" or something like that......I think the point of this book is. Is you can't change yourself everyone is different....On of my favorite quotes are..."You will find a girl prettier than,smarter than me,and funnier than me but you will never find a girl just like me" well for a girl but it would be a little bit different for a guy....so I think that's what they are trying to say. Everyone is unique all in a different way.

    10/25/2011 8:03:59 PM
  • Cameron

    i agree i don't get why people are mean to kids just because they are different.

    10/26/2011 3:14:12 PM
  • xavier colon

    Icant agree with you more. the most difficult time in my life was in kidergarten when other kids said i was diff and i thought to my self oh well, thats their point of view but not mine. And at recess when my only friend was absent i was called stupid and unpopular and i told thm thats in their vocabulary, not mine i treated people with the uttermost respect, even unliked people. and i learned that being diffrent is cool because theres only one you, the one that knows the unknown secret, crush and who you really are and i am xavier colon and that does not shame me and never will and just like at the end of anything but typical, jason ended his bennu story with i changed my mind doc, i like the way i am, this is me and i will do that no matter the standards and i will be xavier colon for the rest of my life and that will never change and so what if people are diffrent if it happens to someone i know i'll tell 'em just say no thanks doc i like who i am, this is me

    10/26/2011 3:23:21 PM
  • Prisca

    I agree with Caitlin M. and Emma that people only see the outside as if everybody is just a bubble and all that really matters is the outside. I think that people see others like m&ms if it looks pretty they say, "Oh, I'll give that a shot" if its a barf colored m&m, however, they immediately squeal eew! and walk away never trying what might be the milkiest chocolate inside. If you see an autistic kid you don't have to be all buddy-buddy but you don't have to give them the cold shoulder either. Just say hi and maybe make polite conversation if they want to, if not you could just let them stand next to you. I think if we did that to everybody mountview would be a lot better and every day would be a good day.

    10/26/2011 4:47:07 PM
  • Hannah krog

    i definitely agree with you, it seems like lot of people think that autisum is a disease. it's not. i think that is so wrong that people think that. i see alot of times that people make fun of people with autisum because they think and act a different way,wich is not right it's horrible, they treat them as if they are stupid and dont have any feelings. they do. they are not monsters, they are humans like all of us. some kids with autisum are amazingly smart,intelligent, and deep. like jason in more then typical. people just dont notice how smart kids with autisum are. wich i think is just sad. kids with autisum are usualy left and bullied. You cant change the way you are, so you half to be proud of yourself no matter what, be proud of who you are autisum or none, be happy with who you are dont spend your time wishing what you could be, cause you cant change, no matter how much you wish.

    10/26/2011 5:28:25 PM
  • stephen dozois

    I agree with Jack B. People who see someone with Autism might think that they have a disease and that maybe they can be infected also. That is why people need to learn about Authism and not be afraid. Once when I was in Worcester, I saw a kid who had Autism. These other kids were saying mean things like "freak" and "get away". I just stood there without saying a word because I wasn't sure what to say.

    10/26/2011 5:50:28 PM
  • Kalli w

    I totally understand because, to me it is like your first day of school. You don't know any body yet so you can't judge them if they would be a good friend or not so you say hello any ways. Here some people with autism don't look it and others may. Which is perfectly fine because they are still the same as every one else but they only see the world differently. Reading 'Anything But Typical' taught me so much about how people with autism feel and how bad people treat them since they have a minor difference than everyone else. Which they army really that different because in a way every one has their own way of learning along with autistic ones. In conclusion I absolutely agree with the whole autism factor.

    10/26/2011 7:49:48 PM
  • Phoebe

    I feel like just because they might seem different on the outside, they are really the same on the inside. I think that you should treat everyone the way that you want to be treated. I think that everyone should like themselves as who they areI know someone that has autism, and they look almost the same as a NT(nurotypical), but they sometimes act differently.

    10/26/2011 8:43:49 PM
  • cam h

    i totally agree with phoebe that everone is the same on the inside. we all have a heart will all have a brain but the part is that we do not use all our parts the way other peple do. for the brain some people think differently because they have autism. that is ok. as a socitity we all need to accept who other people are no matter what they look like what they do it does not matter. if you treat everone the same how you want to be treated there would be no probles of how people are.

    10/27/2011 3:45:59 PM
  • Abby Picard

    im sorry i hadnt responded earlier. i have not had computer acess so this is my first time with it. I completly agree with you and everyone else's comments. I think that when people hear autisim they feel the need to walk away, not pay attention to that person, treat them like a contagious disease that if you get can NEVER go away. but that is completly wrong. Autistic people are regualar people who just think more slow. its never good to judge because you wouldnt like it if someone judged you the way youu think or the way you talk.

    10/27/2011 3:55:10 PM
  • Gabi H.

    I understand what your saying. Somtimes it is hard to understand new information and learning styles, but that doesn't mean that there's something wrong with you. People try so hard to make it seem like they understand autism but when it comes down to it, they disreguard all of their knowledge and walk away. This is not fair to autistic people.

    10/27/2011 4:14:43 PM
  • Ben Ribeiro

    I think Will is right, people with autism can be very smart because they look at the subject differently. It is odd how people make fun of a kid because they don't learn the same way they do. They think its weird.
    People do relate autism to other things because they are all not normal to everyone else. And for some reason some 'genious' decided that these things are bad. I wouldn't judge someone so quick if they have this, it IS just another way of looking at things.

    10/27/2011 5:40:12 PM
  • Ben Ribeiro

    So...If autism is a so called "disease", wouldn't regular people also have diseases? So there different from us, and were different from them, so who really is the irregular one? My ANSWER IS NO ONE. And I'm leaving it at that for you to answer yourself.

    10/27/2011 6:10:37 PM
  • Owen R

    i feel bad for kids with autism because they are very smart at different things that most NTs are not smart at things such as writing drawing and other things like that. I feel they should be treated the same because they just look at the wourld around us differently. once i saw a kid who had autism and he was really good at drawing he may have acted different than NTs would but he was just good at his own things

    10/27/2011 6:10:42 PM
  • Liam G.

    I agree with you people judge people from just the way they look on the outside not on the inside.I think people should get to the person.Phoebe made a great comment on how people should like themselves just the way they are,and people need to put the golden rule into effect.I definetly agree with you :)

    10/27/2011 7:23:18 PM
  • tim lebreton

    I have an autistic cousin who I had not seen in 3 years. We went on vacation with him in July for a week. At first I couldnt understand him or some of the things that he did. After a few days I realized that he was the same age as me but he acted much younger. I decided to play games that he would like and we had a lot of fun.At the end of the trip he said to his mother that he had the best time ever and so did I . I am glad that I got to see my cousin Nick this summer.

    10/27/2011 7:31:38 PM
  • Julius Roman

    I agree with Cam that people are really mean to other kids that are "different" like the time Jim [ or at least I think thats his name ] said that his nephew had autisum and went up to a couple of girls and asked what there name was but they just laughed. If I knew a autistic kid I would not be mean to him. I would be nice to him and sit next to him at lunch and in class.

    10/27/2011 7:57:08 PM
  • Matthew N

    I know two kids that have autism and everyone talks about them like they are little kids and they're not. Sometimes it is difficult to socialize with a kid that has autism. But, I think you should treat people like you want to be treated like Phoebe said.

    10/27/2011 9:46:32 PM
  • CarterL

    There are some people who just dont care if people are autistic or not, they just want to be nice to them like Jason's friend in the book. Whereas there are other people who dont like kids just because they're autistic.

    I think every body should take responsibility and just be nice to people no matter who they are.

    10/28/2011 6:30:17 AM
  • Olivia L. L.A. 1/7

    I agree with you because there are so many different learning styles and some people think that people with autism are the same but it is just another learning style but it is not it is more than that. I know someone who has autism and it thought me to be surpportive and patient.

    10/28/2011 2:45:54 PM
  • Caroline S.

    I agree that people with disabilities aren't treated fairly. I made a connection to Eunice Kennedy Shriver creating the Special Olympics. The Special Olympics help give kids with disabilities or people that are in a wheelchair a chance to play sports because people might not have wanted them to play in their town league. This was created so people with disabilities would be treated fairly.

    10/28/2011 2:49:59 PM
  • Ken O

    You know what, im tired of people avoiding other people just because they think differently. People act like atistic people are inhumane. You see people just round up everyone who has a learning dissorder or is mentaly challenged put them in a little group in there mind, noting that they're "strange" or they're "wierd". I used to know a kid who was mentaly challenged who nobody liked because he was different. In my eyes he was equal to me. Some were nice too him, too, but mostly everyone just made fun of him. It's truly pathetic that they made fun of him.

    I think everyone should just treat each other as equals, because, at least in my mind, we are.

    10/28/2011 3:02:39 PM
  • Banafo Abbeyquaye

    I do not get why people treat people with autism so differently than how they treat everyone else.They call them weird behind their back.They take advantage of them and the autistic people don't even know it. They think your being nice to them. When they get happy or flap their arms or pull their hair it is only because they can't help what they are doing and people don't get that.You should treat them well and be their friend no matter if they have autism.People think they have a mental disorder but they are really smart at some things.

    10/28/2011 6:59:49 PM
  • Alexis P LA 1/7

    I know a gril that has autisum. Everyone takes advanage of her and also calls her mean names. I feel really bad for her and sorry that has to happen, becuase that shouldn't happen. I wish people could just treat people how they would want to be treated!

    10/28/2011 7:31:29 PM
 

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