A World With Little Words
Speak, Little Boy
Autism.
It makes the strongest of parents cringe, because as far as they're concerned, there's no way around it. Maybe. My best friend, Jimmy, was born autistic. I could tell at a young age he was different from most of the other kids. He had delayed responses to touching, barely looked at people or smiled, and he had alot of trouble speaking.
Some of the more disruptive things started in second grade. He began banging his head on desks, picking his own skin, and he even went as far as biting his own hands. At first, it scared the living shit out of me. What was wrong with him? Was he an alien from Mars?
After awhile, I built up the courage to ask my parents. They always told me aliens weren't real, but Jimmy had to be living proof of life forms on other planets. After a long description of all the things he did, my mom looked at me sadly and said "No sweetie, he's autistic."
It took me a long time to fully grasp what that definition meant, but I was a smart boy, so it came to me soon enough. When I finally got over being timid around him, I straight up went to him and asked if he would like to be friends.
He looked at the ceiling, down at his shoes, and shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Sure."
Three days later, he invited me over to his house. He seemed excited, but it was heard to tell since there were no external signs other then the glint in his eyes.
Upon arriving in the home, I immediately noticed everything was extremely clean. Even his room was spotless, which I thought was odd for a kid our age. He didn't want to play with his toys, which were neatly stacked by his baby blue walls, but instead opted to play the piano for me.
At first I thought that sounded kind of boring, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I told him yes. Turns out, he was the most amazing piano player I had ever heard. Even better then some of the adults I have seen playing at recitals and big concerts.
I was captivated, and he looked so at ease with this. Lost in his own world, I knew we would make very, very good buddies...despite his lack of communication skills.
I don't think I would ever ask for anyone else, because he showed me that even impaired kids such as him had a purpose, and for that I am extremely grateful.
It makes the strongest of parents cringe, because as far as they're concerned, there's no way around it. Maybe. My best friend, Jimmy, was born autistic. I could tell at a young age he was different from most of the other kids. He had delayed responses to touching, barely looked at people or smiled, and he had alot of trouble speaking.
Some of the more disruptive things started in second grade. He began banging his head on desks, picking his own skin, and he even went as far as biting his own hands. At first, it scared the living shit out of me. What was wrong with him? Was he an alien from Mars?
After awhile, I built up the courage to ask my parents. They always told me aliens weren't real, but Jimmy had to be living proof of life forms on other planets. After a long description of all the things he did, my mom looked at me sadly and said "No sweetie, he's autistic."
It took me a long time to fully grasp what that definition meant, but I was a smart boy, so it came to me soon enough. When I finally got over being timid around him, I straight up went to him and asked if he would like to be friends.
He looked at the ceiling, down at his shoes, and shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Sure."
Three days later, he invited me over to his house. He seemed excited, but it was heard to tell since there were no external signs other then the glint in his eyes.
Upon arriving in the home, I immediately noticed everything was extremely clean. Even his room was spotless, which I thought was odd for a kid our age. He didn't want to play with his toys, which were neatly stacked by his baby blue walls, but instead opted to play the piano for me.
At first I thought that sounded kind of boring, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I told him yes. Turns out, he was the most amazing piano player I had ever heard. Even better then some of the adults I have seen playing at recitals and big concerts.
I was captivated, and he looked so at ease with this. Lost in his own world, I knew we would make very, very good buddies...despite his lack of communication skills.
I don't think I would ever ask for anyone else, because he showed me that even impaired kids such as him had a purpose, and for that I am extremely grateful.
♠ ♠ ♠
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