This is a letter from Philip to parents who have contacted him to address their fears and worries about
their children diagnosed with autism.
Dear Parents,
As an autistic boy, I want you to know I
am happy. My autistic neurology makes me think very differently than most
people. I can sense the world keenly, making me a very observant person. People
make wrong assumptions about people who don't act like a typical person. Making
assumptions about something as important as your child is dangerous if you make
the wrong conclusions. I have lived the consequences of my parents' wrong
assumptions. Being thought as retarded and in need of remedial education assigned
me to many years of ABA and useless therapies based on neurotypical assumptions
of autism. Man assumes many things they don't really know. The best way to know
someone is to hear from them personally. The only way to hear from me has been
through RPM (Rapid Prompting Method). I think most autistic people can make use
of assistive means to communicate. Parents should look into learning more
communication methods. Body awareness programs would also help a lot. My
parents have done a lot of therapies. Making life as normal as possible and
helping us to communicate is what makes the biggest difference in our lives. Please teach
us interesting things. Don’t just address the things you want to fix. Accept
us the same way you want to be accepted yourself. Mainly, maintain an attitude
of love and patience towards us. Making us feel loved is an essential part of
helping us meet the challenges of living in this world.
Love,
Philip
September 2015
Copyright 2015 Philip Reyes. All rights reserved.
