“We all fear what we do not understand.”
If you’re an avid reader of Dan Brown books, you would have come across the abovementioned quote in his book, The Lost Symbol. Quite literal to the phrase itself, the quote points out the truth that we, humans, don’t wish to admit, which is why most of us are quick to fear something or someone that we don’t understand. That said, to be afraid is instinctual but letting fear cloud our ability to understand is where the problem starts.
For instance, many of us don’t quite understand developmental disorders like Down Syndrome, Intellectual Disability, Autism and more. This is mainly because we weren’t educated enough on these disorders as the crucial need to understand these disorders is often deemed unimportant. Don’t you agree?
However, one netizen chose to enlighten the community on one of the most misunderstood disorders – autism, following the arrest of a 23-year-old autistic man, Ziqri, for alleged molestation. So, she took to Twitter to educate fellow netizens on autistic people as she lamented her regret and frustration over Malaysians’ lack of education on the disorder.
Source: twitter
FYI, people with autism often find difficulties in social interactions, verbal and non-verbal interactions, and repetitive behaviours.
She wrote that every time she goes out with her brother, they would never be spared from weird glances given by the public. She was quoted as saying,
“I can never leave the house without people staring uneasily at us. Why? Do you think my brother is crazy?”
“It’s never easy to explain my brother’s behaviour each time he throws a tantrum in public.”
For illustration purposes only | source: asian scientist
She reminded people that autism is neither an illness nor a disease and that it cannot be cured. Therefore, these people are actually very harmless and they simply view the world differently compared to the rest of us.
The sister also shared a series of videos, in her tweets, as she bares her brother’s condition for the world to see. According to her, her brother is a non-verbal autistic kid, which means he finds it very hard to verbalise his emotions.
She shared,
“He doesn’t know how to verbalise what he wants; we get even more sad trying to understand him.”
Source: 123rf
Nonetheless, along the road, her brother was slowly taught simple words that he will use to express his thoughts. The doting sister also shared her brother’s favourite activities, which include playing with wires. She remembered a time where she and her family members caught her brother unknowingly playing with a snake. Oh dear, thank God nothing happened to him!
She finally ended her thread of tweets with an interview she did with her mum to raise awareness on autism along with a video of her brother waiting for his annual check-ups while singing “Lenggang Kangkung”. Kudos to her for being such an amazing sister!
Source: twitter
Despite autism being referred to as a disorder, it isn’t something that we can’t work with. This is because, with proper guidance and education, autistic people and people who fall on the autistic spectrum can achieve great things too. They can contribute to society as well, just like a normal person.
Here are some of the individuals on the autistic spectrum who managed to shape the world we live in today:
- Albert Einstein – Scientist, Physicist & Mathematician
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Classical Music Composer
- Sir Isaac Newton – Mathematician, Astronomer & Physicist
- Tim Burton – Movie Director
- Charles Darwin – Naturalist, Geologist & Biologist
- Hans Christian Anderson – Children’s Book Author
- Thomas Jefferson – One of the Founding Father’s of America & 3rd President of the USA
- Steve Jobs – Former CEO of Apple
For all you know, with the right education, an autistic person could shape the world we live in today!
So, the next time you see an autistic person, give them a kind smile and be courteous instead of staring at them awkwardly. After all, they are the same as us, just a little different.
“Be kind to one another.” – Ellen Degenerous.
Also read: These Visually-Impaired Students Defied All Odds and Scored 4.0 CGPA for STPM
