Autism Society: Helping persons with special needs

Mico Ramos is no stranger to bullying. He had gone through many of those dark periods until he was in third year high school. The experience had taught him how to face – and put up a “fight” – against his offenders.

“I, and even my mother, experienced being bullied physically and emotionally,” the 23-year-old, who hails from Davao City, said in Filipino in an interview with Manila Bulletin Wednesday morning.

Ramos said his mother singlehandedly raised him, so he himself had to fight the emotional distress brought about by his bullies.

Ramos, according to the Autism Society of the Philippines (ASP) National President Mona Magno-Veluz, is just one of 1.2 million

Filipinos born with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is a condition that gives him difficulty in socializing with people his age.

ASP’s mission Veluz and the 10,000 other personnel and staff of ASP nationwide are keen on empowering persons with ASD to live up to their full potentials, be self-reliant, productive, and socially-accepted community members.

ASP is composed of families, teachers, therapists, institutions, and individuals who are committed to provide assistance to families affected with ASD. It is a country-based, non-profit organization established in 1989 to ensure the well-being of persons with the said condition.

Ramos has been working for the ASP as one of its project assistants for six months now.

Family-centered approach “Our programs are centered on helping not just the person who has autism, but also parents, siblings, or relatives [to shed light on] different concerns, fears, and issues that need to be talked about,” Veluz, who has a son with autism, told MB. “We have to make sure that we provide our children, with our without autism, a healthy and rich experience in life.”

She said that autism is a spectrum disorder in general; thus, the family’s role in guiding the child with special needs is crucial.

“On one side, there are people who you can’t tell whether or not they have autism, while there are others who [visibly] need help, for they can’t speak nor make bodily movements,” Veluz said.

Autism Research Institute’s (ARI) official website (www.autism.com) defines autism as “a severe development disorder that begins within the first three years after conception.”

“Most autistic children look like other kids, but do puzzling and disturbing things which are markedly different behaviors from those of typical children,” ARI added.

Misunderstood Veluz made it clear that autism is a condition and not a reflection of one’s intelligence.

“For example, one might not be able to speak because the muscles in his mouth cannot function well, but that does not mean that he is intellectually incapable of doing higher rational tasks,” she said, adding that speech difficulty may cause delays in one’s maturity.

Persons with autism, Veluz said, have social and communication skill impairments; they may also have socalled hypersensitivities.

“Autism is a neuro-developmental condition, where the senses perceive the world in a different way,” she said.

She also noted that kids with autism, like her son, are so sensitive that they freak out whenever an undesirable object is nearby or within their line of sight.

A mom’s story

When UNTV segment host Donna Lim, 45, gave birth to her first daughter, Desly, now 21, never did she expect that the coming of her first born would bring a drastic change in her life.

“At first, I was in denial despite already noticing something different about my daughter. But when my husband, who is a psychologist, confirmed what the problem is, it took a few weeks for it to sink in,” Lim said when asked about her reaction upon learning that her daughter has ASD.

“Of course, it gave me a hard time [to accept it], because my daughter is so beautiful and no physical signs of autism can be seen on her,” Lim said.

“Before she turned one year old, she was already able to say “mama” and “papa.” In fact, she was able to memorize a song at such an early stage. But before she could even turn two, she suffered from a severe fever. From then on, she returned to a certain state, as if she’s a month-old infant again.”

A loving mother that she is, Lim never let her child’s condition dampen her spirit. Though she admitted that Desly does not excel in academics, she said that her daughter handles clerical tasks well.

“I opted not to push for her college studies, because I knew that it is going to be hard for her,” Lim said, sharing that her daughter finished her secondary studies at the Philippine Women’s University.

Desly now works with her mom in their family rental business.

Bridge to mainstream

Veluz is hopeful that in the next 20 to 30 years, people with special needs would no longer need an organization like ASP, that by then, “everything’s already okay.”

“You go into a business, want to apply for a job, want to be a customer, [one] with autism will be understood. So there’s no more need to bridge [them] into the mainstream,” Veluz said.

A long road still lies ahead, though, she admitted. But as far as being a good model in the Asia Pacific region is concerned, the Philippines, she said, is on the right track.

“For a country that doesn’t have a lot, we have accomplished so much thru the sheer energy of our volunteers, and the goodness of people who help us out,” Veluz said.

ASP was established when children with ASD were born in the late ’80s have and already are adults. Veluz emphasized that ASP will remain existent for as long as it is needed.

“When ASP started, it was all about the children; we wanted to help the children. But now, children with autism 26 years ago are now aging adults,” she said.

ASP, as an organization, also needs to change depending on the needs of the people it is helping.

I guess, until there’s still a need to be done, we’ll still be around, Veluz said. “We need to make sure that the adults are employed, and when their parents die, they’ll have economic independence.”

‘Don’t lose hope’ Meanwhile, the lad who did not think twice about sharing his darkest memory with MB said: One’s industriousness will surely payoff someday, so he should not let the bullies win, Ramos said.

“Labanan ‘yung emotions at huwag papatalo sa kanilang mga panunukso. Magpatuloy ka lang sa ginagawa mo, at hindi ka nila masisira doon (Control your emotions. Just go on with what you’re doing and they won’t be able to destroy you),” he said.

“They must help themselves,” Ramos said. “And for the parents, don’t lost hope, [because] autism manifests in many forms.”

(In observance of the National Autism Week, at least 13,000 participants are expected to take part in this morning’s “Angels’ Walk,” which will have persons with ASD and their loved ones walking in unison near the Mall of Asia Arena complex.)