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It’s Autism Awareness month, but what efforts need to be doubled?

  Happy Autism Awareness Day! Image from HealthPark Pediatrics  It is one of my favorite days on earth; I’ll tell you why. It’s the day when many put out content and reasons why YOU and everyone should know about Autism.  Today, I’m speaking about Autism awareness in rural communities. Autism is a disorder that makes an individual act a certain way from others; there’s the aspect of communication, the meltdowns where people liken to “tantrums” for years, The therapy, and the fact that early intervention could allow a child to progress better in life.  See post: Empower Voices For Autism Early intervention means that after the detection of Autism in the ward or child’s life, there would need to be treatment. I’m not talking about blood samples or prescription of drugs; I’m talking about enrollment into special education, therapy, and lots of therapies. Some people in the rural communities do not have the luxury of that. My little Brother on the Spectrum  A little part of me would want t
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A PERSONAL STORY ON CEREBRAL PALSY: CAN REALLY GOD TAKE AWAY DISABILITIES?

Did I always know better? No. So, I will tell you something that happened in Secondary School ten years ago. There was this girl that had Cerebral Palsy . But I didn’t know that was it. I always thought that she had a curse or possession.  Image from Very Well Health site  I did not even know about Cerebral Palsy until I got out of high school. I randomly remembered her last year and felt so terrible. This girl was subjected to mockery, ridicule, and so much stress in a boarding school by her teachers, mates, and seniors. I couldn’t even possibly imagine how she felt. She had to make it to class every day without support and learn like others. There was no form of special education in the school.  See Last Month's post: Reservations from a love struck neurotypical sibling   I cannot blame her parents, even if it’s questioning to let your child come to that kind of environment. They may not have known about her problem. If they weren't aware she was different, they may no
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Reservations from a love-struck neurotypical sibling: My partner has to love my Autistic brother

  So, the month of love is one of my best months.  I came across a story about a girl’s boyfriend basically being her special needs brother’s best friend, and I whined” Goddddd, I want that ,” For a while, I’ve been skeptical about Marriage . I want to marry someone with a ton of values and the same faith as mine. I have one fear: “ If he loves me, will he be able to love my brother too ?” These are fears that many neurotypical siblings won’t talk about.  I believe that family should have a good relationship with your future partner.  Because of my fear, I’ve been sort of strict with the kind of people I let into my life. With friends, I choose people who are kind-hearted, patient, and amazing. See also: Will I erase Autism from my life? I want the same for my partner. I know that at some point, Tobi will have to stay with me; I want that healthy relationship.  Yes, sometimes I feel that I will never meet that person, someone who loves me and loves my brother. But that’s just fear and
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BE DISABILITY-FRIENDLY

Have you ever, at some point, felt excluded from a group or soci al gathering? Especially when making plans with friends but you end up being cast away?  That must have been so sad. If your answer is yes, you probably feel how persons with disabilities feel.  Image from The Dominican Star For years, persons with disabilities have had various misconceptions targeted to them. They are tagged as “Talentless, Unlovable, Dumb, weak.” Even despite the conscious efforts from organizations, some people still carry the same misconceptions. Worse, they are passing them down to their families. That should NEVER be you.  SEE: International Day of Acceptance  Today is the International Day of Acceptance. This day is created for the social Acceptance of disabilities. So, how do you respond to people with disabilities? Embrace people’s differences. Some people are born with specific abilities, and some are not. God never intended for anyone to be the same. Differences also never mean that the person
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Normalizing conversations about disabilities and disorders

  Wow, just wow.   So, first of all, let me start by saying “Thank You, God” Three months ago, I started planning my hangout- I started by opening up a link for people to register, I wanted to see if people would be interested in it. Surprisingly, over 33 people registered. I was already so motivated to keep it going. The essence of this hangout was to introduce the initiative behind the mission and also to spark up a conversation about special needs. So I just wanted to have that talk with people about disabilities. A part of me wondered if it would be a “Safe space.” Whether people would want to talk, but I was proven wrong.  They spoke. So many people were so interested in talking. I deserve a pat on my back for coming up with this. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so proud of myself.  My country isn’t the best for catering well to its citizens, so I lose hope when I think about special needs and whether they can do so much more to help persons with disabilities and special needs famili
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IF I HAD A CHANCE TO ERASE AUTISM FROM MY LIFE, WOULD I?

  My family’s life changed when we received a diagnosis for my brother’s absurd behaviour. I can’t remember things from my childhood, but I remember Tobi to an extent.  He had to go to regular schools and would not stay in class; his therapy sessions had meltdowns that were too difficult to handle. Recently, I asked myself,” If I had a chance to erase Autism from my life, would I do it?” instead, if I could choose to have a neurotypical brother, would I? I don’t know. I say this with all honesty.  I think about it- would I have had a great relationship with Tobi if he wasn’t autistic? Oh God, I don’t know. I know he would be a very annoying boy like every other younger brother is.  A part of me wouldn’t want to erase it despite the challenges. You see, I’m going to go spiritual. God brings everyone to this world for a reason. See. Let me blow your mind. God actually brings someone to this world to address a particular issue and when he creates a person, he already has everything planne
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