People with autism generally fight an uphill battle, both against their disorder and the perceptions of others around them. The condition autistic folks struggle with on a daily basis is known primarily as a hindrance to communication and social interaction, so many of the things we take for granted, such as asking for a particular food for lunch or expressing a desire smack Ryan Seacrest, are difficult (if not impossible) for the autistic person to communicate. That’s why breakthroughs such as Carly Fleischman’s, who cannot speak but does use a computer to communicate, are so important.

Autism is one of the most mysterious and least understood brain development disorders cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists. Because by nature autism is a communication disorder first and foremost, the true intelligence level of an autistic person is basically unknown as most screeners depend on language, either verbal or written. Thanks to her newfound expression ability, Carly is able to give researchers a peek inside the mind of an autistic person in a way that is normally impossible. From providing a reason for the self-injurious behavior that’s one of the characteristics of autism to a window into how the autistic person interacts with siblings and peers, Carly’s words are stunning due to the sensitive and articulate portrait she paints of herself:

“Autism is hard because you want to act one way, but you can’t always do that. It’s sad that sometimes people don’t know that sometimes I can’t stop myself and they get mad at me. If I could tell people one thing about autism it would be that I don’t want to be this way. But I am, so don’t be mad. Be understanding.”

This is a girl who would have likely been abandoned to the silent prison of her disorder had it not been for the tireless efforts of her parents and speech-language pathologists. Kudos to them for not giving up, and kudos to Carly for offering the world such an honest look at the daily struggles faced by the fast-growing autistic community.

Tags: autism, autism spectrum disorder, asperger’s disorder, cognitive psychology

I’ve never had a problem eating food from a gas station.  Just two weeks ago, I ate a couple of hot dogs purchased from a gas station.  They were delicious.  That’s not the first time I’ve eaten gas station food, and I doubt it will be the last.  There’s nothing like a fun food novelty. […]

Commissioner Roger Goodell gathered 32 NFL owners for one big question.  One of the league’s most wanderlust-stricken franchises is looking to move again.  The Oakland-Los Angeles-Oakland Raiders, tired of gutting it out in a run-down stadium, were once again looking for greener pastures.  Only the Miami Dolphins refused to cooperate.  With a vote of 31-1, […]

In 2006, an injury to Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe opened the door for an undrafted free agent by the name of Tony Romo to take the helm of America’s Team and lead the Dallas Cowboys to an early playoff exit.  Bledsoe went from starter to afterthought in a season.  Now, the circle continues […]

For 89 years, Oscars has never had a major mistake.  The last few Oscars might have had a few flubs, but at least they never got the most important category of the night wrong.  Well, that’s now changed, all thanks to OG Bonnie and Clyde legends Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.  When Faye Dunaway called […]

Tom Brady has been wildly successful, if controversial.  He’s the first quarterback ever to win five Super Bowls and only the second player to do so after Charles Haley.  Unlike Haley, Brady won all his Super Bowls with the same team, the New England Patriots.  The only thing that seems to be able to stop […]

Ben Affleck, no matter what you might think of him, is a talented actor and director.  He’s got the goods, but he’s smart enough to know when he’s in over his head.  All along, since he took on the mantle of Batman, he’s had his eyes on writing, directing, and starring as the Caped Crusader. […]

In May, students for the for-profit American College of Education were running into some problems.  Their access to email accounts and course information was locked down by Google, who had disabled their accounts.  The reason why?  A fired IT worker for the American College of Education locked the school out of their Google cloud account. […]