My Name is Kate

Guest Blog by Kate

April is Autism Awareness Month.  This is the time of year when people are generally more aware of Autism.  I ask that you are not just aware of Autism but that you are more sensitive towards people with Autism. Don’t assume we are weird because we are different.   Many of us are sensitive to sights, sounds and touch, my experiences are often drastically different from most people’s experiences.  In my world, sights, sounds and touch are often amplified times ten.     I try very hard to be part of your intense world, can you try to be sensitive to my world? My name is Kate, I am twelve years old and I live in California.  My favorite color is red, I love music and the Patriots.  
I wrote a few poems I would like to share with you.  The first, is a poem that describes who I am.

Kind

Amazing writer                                    
Totally sassy

Energetic and fun      

                                                           

 

                                             

 

The second poem I wrote this past summer, it describes how I felt each morning before I was allowed to go swimming.   Each morning was torture, but every afternoon was pure bliss!  I hope you enjoy it, I am terribly proud of it. 

Tranquility

Water is my tranquility
It calms my mind, body, and soul
It is my therapy 
Then why do they torture me by making me wait and wait and wait
Oh, how that beautiful water sparkles in the warm sun
Can't they see how badly I need my fix?
Stop the torture!  I can't wait and wait and wait much longer
I need to dive into that sparkling refreshing tranquility now!
Stop the torture please!  I cannot wait and wait and wait anymore
I must be one with my pool, water is my therapy
It is finally time!  No more waiting and waiting and waiting
At last, I am at peace

                                       

Inclusion

Guest Blog by Coco Aysseh

THERE IS A LOT OF AGREEMENT ABOUT INCLUSION BEING A GOOD THING.  YES EVERYONE CAN AGREE ON THAT.  BUT INCLUSION CAN TAKE MANY FORMS.  INCLUSION WITHOUT EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION THATS NOT A REASONABLE TYPE OF INCLUSION.  TO A BIG EXTENT OUR ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE IS WHAT MAKES US HUMAN.  TAKE THAT ABILITY AWAY AND IT BECOMES EASY FOR SOME TO SEE US AS LESS THAN HUMAN.  EVEN THOSE WITH CAPABILITIES WILL BE TREATED AS LESS THAN.

EVERYONE DESERVES A VOICE.  THE VOICE SHOULD BE THE PREFERENCE OF THE PERSON USING IT.  TO SAY I CAN COMMUNICATE AS EFFECTIVELY USING A SET OF CHOSEN PICTURES AS I CAN THROUGH SPELLING IS LIKE TELLING A SPEAKING PERSON EVERY DAY YOU MUST COMMUNICATE THROUGH THESE DOZEN GLYPHS IN LIEU OF YOUR WORDS.

DAY AFTER DAY WE MUST TRY OUR BEST TO SPREAD THE TRUTH AND CHANGE PEOPLES HEARTS.  TOGETHER WE CAN.  THEN MAYBE THE NEXT GENERATION OF AUTISTICS ARE ABLE TO BE INCLUDED IN SCHOOL IN A MEANINGFUL AND RESPECTFUL WAY.  EDUCATION IS THE RIGHT OF ALL CHILDREN.

THANKS PHILIP FOR LETTING ME SHARE MY THOUGHTS ON YOUR BLOG.

COCO AYSSEH

Coco is twelve years old. She lives in Fairfield, CT with her mom, dad, sister, and grandma.  She loves books, music, swimming, going to movies, and playing with her kitties Sparkle and Butterscotch.  Coco's real education began in the summer of 2015 when she had her first Rapid Prompting Method session with Soma.  Now she can communicate what is in her heart and mind by spelling on her letter board.  She hopes to someday be a writer and professor of literature.  Coco has her own blog "RPM with Coco."

Hope is a Magic Bird

Guest Blog by Thomas Callahan

Hope is a magic bird.

Hope is in the mind.

Hope is not in a cage

So you may not even find.

You can create your own hope.

It can be pretty, or not.

You can build a nest for it.

Or let it be lost.

Thomas is 25 and lives on Long Island with his two brothers. He learned RPM from Soma Mukhopadhyay and communicates with a letterboard.  

My Disobedient Body

My body is like a very disobedient toddler. My mind is like an impatient mother, wanting her unruly child to do what she says. Tonight my dad asked me to set the table for dinner. My mind knows where each person sits. I give myself the order to make plates go to each person. I plan to carry out the order from dad. However, my feeble body balks at this order. It wants to put all the plates on one end of the table and the cups on the other end. I end up looking like an idiot who can’t understand the concept that everyone is supposed to get their own place setting. I want my body disciplined to follow the rules. How do I get my body to cooperate? This is my biggest struggle.

Copyright 2017 Philip Reyes.  All rights reserved.

My Vacation to Riviera Maya, Mexico

This past week I went to Riviera Maya, Mexico with my family. I had a lot of fun. I am part Mexican so it was nice to go see where some of my ancestors are from. I learned some Spanish. I could understand buenos dias, hola, gracias, de nada, and como esta. I tried to understand other words from context. I woke up each morning to bright sunshine and birds chirping quietly outside my window. It was a nice change from the cold.

In Mexico, we went to the beach everyday. We swam, waded in the waves, and made sand castles. My favorite thing was sitting where the water meets the shore and feeling the sand below me shift as the water goes in and back out. Getting lost in my senses at the beach is relaxing, like listening to music with a pleasing melody and predictable rhythm. I like the water and the way it shines a sparkling turquois blue. I can watch water all day.

Another thing we did was spending lots of time together as a family. It pleased me to do things together. We ate many great meals together. I liked the fresh fruit and pasta. Going to fancy restaurants was fun. We went to French, Brazilian, and Japanese restaurants. The Japanese one was entertaining. The chef put on a cooking show by lighting up his grill and juggling his cooking tools and our food.

We played and went to shows together. We played mini golf. I was more hitting the ball like a hockey player but it was still fun. We watched my cousin Tommy swim with a dolphin. I think I would have been tense if it were I in there. I am glad he got to do it. At night there were shows at the theater. We watched a circus one night. I liked the acrobats. Another night was a Mexican cultural show. I enjoyed the different dances and music. During the day I watched my brother and sister play beach soccer and water polo. Each day was good.

One day I went on an excursion with my parents and grandparents. We went to Chichenitza to visit the ancient ruins of a great Mayan civilization. No other place I have seen has been as well preserved for its age as the main temple. It was impressive. I saw different buildings with carvings of animals on them. I wondered what they meant. I learned the Mayans had a system of math and writing. I want to learn more about the Mayans. 

On the way back, we visited a town called Valladolid. I liked the town park with the central fountain, many places to sit, and colorful designs on the benches. 

After we also stopped for lunch at a picnic and went to a cenote. A cenote is an underground cave with a natural spring of fresh water. Some people went swimming. It was dark and too scary for me to swim. There were roots and stalactites hanging from above. The water was a midnight blue that looked deeper than the ocean. Mom and Dad swam but I sat this one out. When we got out I found a hammock to lay in. It was a relaxing end to a great day. I am glad I saw Chichenitza. It was the most interesting part of my trip to Mexico.

I had a great time in Mexico. I hope to return some day to learn more about the culture. I liked meeting the friendly people there. I am glad to learn Mexicans are a people of mathematical minds. I learned Mayans developed the concept of zero. They also came up with a logical numeric system. I wonder if I have Mayan relatives. Maybe that is why my dad’s side is so smart in math. I am proud of my Mexican heritage.