outside looking in

¨I think that people without autism try to be over-friendly or over-protective of people with autism because they’re scared of doing the wrong thing when in reality they’re just like us,¨ Skyler Elliott said. 

Elliott is a neurotypical Lancaster native who  turned 17 only a few months ago. As she is one of the smartest people in her class, she plans for a very bright future. But no matter what happens, her sister Paytyn will be her main priority.

One can be diagnosed with autism at any age. Paytyn was diagnosed at 4. At the time many people were not educated as they did more studies on males than females. Paytyn measures  2-3 on the ASD spectrum, as she is non-verbal. As expected, communication with Paytyn has to be creative. ¨In the past, she’s had rings of cards that she could use to show us what she needs. Card examples would be like food, drink, help, outside, potty, etc. Also for those of us who are around her a lot, me, my parents, our nanny, her ABA [Applied Behavior Analyst], and a few of my friends, can usually tell what she wanted without those cards by using social cues and by paying attention to her surroundings,” Elliott said. 

Times are still evolving and so is technology. Paytyn does not use cards to communicate anymore, and now uses her Ipad. ¨She now has what’s called an AAC device which in older versions was a special device that only had certain buttons on it but can now come as software on an Ipad,” Elliott stated.

On the software, she can only access her words. One can forever update and expand the vocabulary farther than the cards could go. The AAC device is set up so she can shake her head yes or no, ask extensive questions, order her own food, and have conversations with strangers.

¨My best friend is autistic, she’s 16 as well, and didn’t get diagnosed until last year when I started pointing out that she had a lot of the same traits that my sister has even though her and her family's views of autism had been so messed up by the media,¨  Elliott said.

Autism seems to be much more common now as advances in diagnostic capability and greater understanding and awareness of ASD, according to NBC News.  The media has set a stereotype of ASD. “She is non-verbal, but I feel when people hear or see that they assume she’s stupid. I personally am not a fan of categorizing ‘how bad’ someone's autism is because it’s different for every person and there is no box that they fit in. I also think by putting these stereotypes on autism, especially by the media, makes a lot of neurotypical people think that being neurodivergent is a bad thing when it’s just different,¨ Elliott said.

The ASD spectrum is not linear. There are more people with Autism than we know. Paytyn is really just like any other pre-teen; she likes going on vacations, especially to beaches, watching her favorite shows and getting pedicures. And again just like any other pre-teen she hates doing chores and being told what to do. 

That’s another thing people don't understand about people with autism– they’re just as capable of liking and doing the same stuff as neurotypical kids. Paytyn does chores like making her bed, feeding her fish, feeding the cats, unloading the dishwasher and putting away her laundry. She has her favorite places to go like the Georgia Aquarium and the beach in the Gulf.  

People with autism deserve care and compassion. They deserve to be treated just like everyone else. The journey may be different but the goal is the same.