National Autism Consciousness week

Held every third week of January, the Department of Education, together with other agencies and civil society organizations, is celebrating a week-long period to raise awareness by sharing vital information on the lifelong neurological disorder known as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD, a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Students on this spectrum have different ways of learning as well as paying attention, and the goal in coping with such is to commit to the inclusion of people diagnosed with this condition.

Some of the main signs of autism are anxiety, especially in social situations, the inability to make friends and difficulty in understanding what others think or feel. While an independent life is possible for those in the spectrum, not all are able to achieve the same level of independence. Since ASD is a developmental disability, it must be noted that ASD begins before the age of 3 and can last throughout a person’s life, with symptoms improving over time.

As a teacher, I had the opportunity to teach some children in the spectrum hand in hand with developmental psychologists in order for us to fully understand how to best approach a learner’s needs. Proper awareness enabled us teachers to eventually identify disabilities in its early stages and partner with parents for both care and progress.

In the past years, greater discourse has been made in terms of inclusion in society for Filipinos on the autism spectrum that goes beyond awareness. Genuine inclusion, as sighted by the Autism Society of the Philippines, has gone as far as enlightening the public on matters that include autism-inclusive-tourism and voter education.

Back in the day, and looking back at my experiences as a teacher, our thrust was to ensure that our students, regardless of such disabilities, were embraced fully, together with their classmates, by treating them equally within the same classroom setting during some classes where it was possible for them to engage with their peers. While separate classes were held for them at certain times and in accordance to their developmental needs that were addressed by experts, in those days we made it our commitment to ensure that, as individuals who belong in the same community, they also enjoyed the same right to fun, play and learning like the rest of their peers in order for them to feel their sense of belonging.

Every child, or person for that matter, that belongs in this spectrum has his or her own gifts and strengths to bring into a classroom or the environment that they want to be in. Not too long ago, I had the chance to watch a TV series called The Good Doctor where the main character, Dr. Shaun Murphy, was a brilliant surgical resident with autism (and savant syndrome). I thought this series to be absolutely fascinating and biases aside, as I searched for comments on the performance of Freddie Highmore who played the role of Dr. Murphy, I couldn’t help but notice those who applauded the actor’s performance but at the same time expressed that the hope is to one day “see people on the spectrum to play people on the spectrum.”

While I think at some point we have reached certain milestones in the area of autism awareness, there’s still so much work to be done and I look forward to our government agencies, especially the Department of Education, to truly lead the way for those on the spectrum through its education strategies in the hopes of achieving successful inclusion.