"I Love You, Good Morning"

People with autism usually have a hard time keeping up with the social aspect of their lives. When a person has autism, they have trouble communicating with others in many different ways. Some may have slight speech delays, or other troubles with speaking, and some just have a hard time starting up or maintaing a conversation with a peer ("Autism Society"). A few other problems an autistic person may have with communication are keeping eye contact with the person they are talking to, using hand gestures "such as pointing to an object they want", and repeating phrases that might not make sense to other people ("ComeUnity").

I know a six year old girl, Bella, who has autism. Bella has a hard time making friends with other children because it is difficult for her to keep a conversation going. Her mother, Denise Studstill, explained to me that Bella tries to be social, but it really has to be on her own terms. Like most autistic children, Bella will "make eye contact and hug people when it is comfortable for her to do so. However, if she doesn't want to participate in a social exchange she will shut down completely and close people out" (Studstill). This is common for autistic people, and it makes it extremely hard for them to make friends, because sometimes they have almost no interest in being social. Bella doesn't really have any friends. She goes to an autism therapy school with a few other kids in her class, but it is still hard for her to talk to them and make friends. "Bella will play near other children and try to copy what they are doing, but because she can't have a two-way conversation it is hard for her to develop friendships" (Studstill).

Although she doesn't have friends, Bella is still a happy, giggly girl. She is very loving, and is always giving out hugs and kisses. Bella does something that a lot of people with autism do, which is repeat things they hear. "In the mornings when I wake her up I say to her, 'I love you, good morning.' Now she can't stop saying those two sentences, no matter what time of day it is" (Studstill).

Bella's language is still developing and will continue to grow as she gets older, just like other autistic kids. Autisic children gain communication skills daily, but unfortunately those skills will never get up to a normal level. Having these speech issues is probably the main thing that keeps people with autism from being social. Since autistic children can't act completely normal, other kids notice the way the autistic child acts and may try to avoid them, which makes it even harder for autistic kids to be social and make friends. Once autistic kids get a little older they begin to make friends, and usually live happy, healthy, and successful lives.

Sources:

"What are the Most Common Characteristics of Autism?" Autism Society. Web. 15 October 2010.

"Communication in Autism." ComeUnity. Web. 15 October 2010.

Studstill, Denise. Personal Interview. 17 October 2010.

Picture Source: "Ray's First Day of the Season." DeviantArt. Web. 19 October 2010.