“Who ever said people with autism don't react to bad news needs to meet me. I got bad news and I'm really sad and disappointed. Just because we might not be able to show it doesn't mean we don't feel it.”
That was written by Carly Fleishmann, a strong, beautiful woman living with autism whose main mode of communication is through typing. However, this skill was not revealed until adolescence.
After years living in silence, being shunned by the public, schoolmates and sometimes even her family, Carly faced many of the same struggles other autistic people do, which can range from communicating to simply sitting still.
In a short documentary I have watched numerous times about Carly's story, posted on most of her social media pages, she explains why autistic people do certain things that others deem strange or wrong, like flailing their arms, covering their ears, screaming in public or just refusing to co-operate.
She explains how sometimes her skin feels like it's on fire or crawling with ants. How autistic people's senses are so strong and powerful that they are able to pick up on noises, smells, feelings and images that most others cannot sense.
For example, it is difficult for her to make eye contact because when she looks at someone, her head takes thousands of pictures of the person and stores them inside her. This overloads her with images and is both confusing and overwhelming.
Some “experts” in autism, claim autistic people cannot convey emotion. Carly has clearly challenged that accusation in the above quote.
On top of that, Carly is able to shed light on a world that no “expert” could ever explain.
A beautiful, yet misunderstood world where people are exempt from the struggles of adulthood. Instead, they find themselves within a sort of Never Never Land, where children never grow up.
How many of us have wished we were a kid again? Who hasn't been stressed out about finances, relationships, their future?
There are so many people in the world blessed with such a life and instead of praising that, learning from it, holding them dear, we push them aside and call them “different” or a number of other much more offensive terms.
Carly has made such an impact in bringing to light so many unanswered questions about autism and other disabilities. She uses social media as a gateway to communicate her thoughts, struggles and growth with the world.
But even better than that, she uses it to educate others on what autism really is and how it has affected her life. Recently, she published a book, with the help of her father further explaining her story.
She explains she is like everyone else but is trapped inside her own body, unable to communicate in a way we understand.
We see this as lesser than us, even though she senses things most humans cannot sense and is filled with so much information that if it were you or me, we'd probably flail our arms, cover our ears and scream in panic as well.
Any “expert” can try to assume what it's like to live a life in a world of autism; however, no amount of book smarts can compare to the knowledge shared by those living with autism, from those affected both directly and indirectly.
Many may claim autistic people do not understand or convey emotion. However, when I call home after being away for nearly a year and my autistic brother, Bradley, tells me he misses me, loves me and asks if I'll visit him soon, I believe he really means it. He feels it. I believe that's from the heart.
PS – Happy birthday Bradley-bear.
