Recognising people with special needs

AS a special needs teacher who works with adults with special needs including autism, the recent case of Ahmad Ziqri Morshidi, the 22-year-old man with autism who was arrested for allegedly molesting a woman, highlighted to me how ignorance about autism drives people’s reaction to it.

There is a lot of preconceived ideas about what autism is. Let me first say what it isn’t. Autism isn’t a disease. It isn’t something you can contract. It isn’t due to poor upbringing or the fault of the mother. And it most certainly isn’t insanity.

Research shows that autism is a complex neurobehavioural condition. Due to the complexity of the condition and the range of symptoms that are prevalent, it is now called autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which covers a wide spectrum of symptoms, skills and levels of impairment. While there are shared characteristics, it is important to remember and acknowledge that autism presents differently in different people.

There are some characteristics to recognise when interacting with a child or adult with ASD. Firstly, children and adults with ASD prefer predictable and unchanging sequences in their daily lives. There is an excessive adherence to routines, patterns or behaviour and they can get distressed at changes. Routines are important and if there is a change, transition warnings are helpful.

Secondly, they might need extra time to process language. Receptive language and expressive language are two very different things to them. While children and adults with ASD may struggle with expressive language, it does not mean that their understanding is compromised. Thirdly, they may often need some help with social interactions.

Fourthly, children and adults with ASD may use stereotypic or repetitive behaviours when they are excited, bored or stressed.

Finally, sensory issues can pose as a distraction. Sometimes, one or more of the senses are either over or under reactive to stimulation.

Allow me to explain this with reference to some examples of my personal behaviour. Since I was young, I have been fixated with the idea that I have to rearrange the furniture in my bedroom every six months. If I don’t, I feel uneasy.

There are also moments in my life where I am unable to express my thoughts coherently. This is a minor and infrequent struggle with expressive language.

Just as no one has a perfect social interaction record, I too can become quite apprehensive at the thought of attending a big gathering with friends. Now, just imagine having to face such experiences every minute of every day as some children and adults with autism may have to. We must surely be able to relate to this on some level.

We all have a type of behaviour that makes us different from others. Why aren’t these behaviours targeted as a social anomaly? Is it because we are able to verbalise our feelings or act to defend ourselves?

If Ahmad Ziqri struggled with expressive language, the authorities should have tried to explain right from wrong by perhaps presenting it to him in other ways. Learning to communicate with children and adults with special needs is very critical. As I mentioned earlier, their level of understanding should not be underestimated.

Ahmad Ziqri would also have been anxious at the interruption of his normal routine as he was put in a lock-up for one night. This was a major change in his everyday routine and probably traumatic for him. Fortunately, the magistrate rightly rejected the remand order sought by the police. Positive reinforcements are helpful. Punishments are not.

Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, said that children and adults with autism deserve the right to dignity, education, equal access to public services, work and employment, protection from discrimination, protection of the law and the right to a fair and impartial trial.

Ahmad Ziqri’s basic human rights were violated in this incident. It is clear that he wasn’t protected from discrimination and his self-worth was ignored. Children and adults with ASD deserve the right to an environment where everyone around them fully understands and respects their condition just as we deserve the right to our own ideas, beliefs and selves being valued.

It is essential that we further educate ourselves and those around us, encourage training for our first responders, and eradicate false beliefs that some may have about autism.

Simple education for his first responder would have saved him and his mother the anguish. More importantly, it would have also helped the victim’s parents to use that most distinguished of characteristics – empathy.

I also read of the anguish faced by the girl involved in the incident who has been receiving many unkind and uncalled for, and even sexist, remarks about her and her dressing, thus in some way blaming her for the incident. This is completely unacceptable. This is a situation where both are blameless and both have suffered a traumatic event.

We must continue to enquire from children and adults with ASD about what they need and how they live their lives. We must do this to ensure that they are fully integrated into our society and are involved in determining their future. We can then ensure that their basic human rights are upheld and that there are fewer victims of ignorance about special needs.