“Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.” –Wayne W. Dyer
Sometimes people come into your life and change you. I graduated with a BA in social work and was offered a job working with individuals with intellectual disabilities. I had several people that were on “the spectrum”. Being “on the spectrum” means having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). There are varying levels of autism; it is not a one size fits all diagnosis. People with ASD struggle with socializing and communication but can also have repetitive behaviors that bring comfort to them.
Individuals with autism can be hyper focused, have an incredible memory and can recall details that you and I may forget. They can have an interest in something that would even exceed what an expert in that field might know. I remember there were two brothers that were all about radios and radio stations. They could spit out facts about analog radios, when they were made, and when people stopped using them and switched to digital.
This population is also extremely truthful. The first time I met this one particular guy on my caseload, I made a joke to make him laugh. He looked at me dead-on and said, “this isn’t the chuckle hour” which I thought was hilarious. He wasn’t making a joke back though; he was being serious. I knew from then on, he and I were not going to have a lot of laughs together.
Individuals with autism can also surprise you. I had one guy on my caseload that I would lecture about how important it is to have good eye contact. As I would be telling him this, he would look down and say, “Yes, Lisa.” Through the years I would tell him that he was a great guy, and again, he would just look down and say “Yes, Lisa” with a smile. On my last day at the workshop, I was a little choked up, and this same individual would give me a gift that day. He came up to me, paused, looked right at me, and said, “I love you, Lisa.” 😊Be still my heart.
Many people are leery about being around people with autism because they just don’t understand them. If this is you, I would challenge you to spend some time with them, opening your mind and heart when you see them bag your groceries, or see them anywhere out in the community. Working with this population stretched my thinking and made me a better human being because of it.