March 13, 2012
By Eric and Felecia Rozansky
ERIC, 15:
When I heard I had the chance to voice my personal thoughts on what it’s like to have autism, I leapt at it because this was a chance to show people my perspective on what autism is to me.
I remember last summer my family was over at a friend’s house and there was a little boy who stood out from everyone else. He had eerily similar behaviors to me when I was that age. For example, he wouldn’t respond to people calling him, he had an obsessive interest in his little toy and he was followed constantly by his dad to stop him from going into the street. He was what appeared to be 6 or 7 years old so I knew something was up. I asked my mom what was happening and she told me what I had known already: he had autism. She suggested that I speak to his parents and try to help them.
I never knew myself as the one to talk to parents of people with autism, but I went over anyway. I introduced myself by saying “Hi, I’m Eric and I have autism like your son.” They questioned me vigorously and I easily answered their questions about autism, like:
“Why does my son obsess with wheels?” (I explained that the repetition calms him down)
“Does my son hear me when I call my name?” (No, I said. I remember being so focused on something that I blanked out everything around me except for my object of interest, even to the point that everything around me was silent).
After speaking with these parents for several more minutes, they repeatedly thanked me and my mom. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my mom explained to me later that I helped them understand their son just a little bit better. Right now, as I type this, I have a big smile across my face knowing that maybe I have the ability to help parents with kids like me, and help the kids, too.
Felecia (Eric’s Mom) writes:
I am so incredibly proud of my son, and our whole family, for the way Eric handles himself. I think Eric is so willing to speak about his autism and seek out others to help because, as a family, we have always accepted that Eric has autism. We’ve worked hard to understand how Eric experiences the world. At times we have struggled to make sense of his behaviors and his approach. The hardest part has been to get our other children to come with us on this lifetime journey…but really, the bottom line has always been: what choice do we have?
Topics:Living with Autism
Comments
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Submitted by: Marytee Date: March 15, 2013
My son is 8 yrs. old and is autistic. I learned a little trick somewhere, which is very helpful when he can't hear me talking to him. I just calmly ask him, "Did you hear what I said?" For some reason, this gets him to tune in to me, which is so much easier and less frustrating than calling his name 3,4, & 5 times. I love learning how to make living with austism better for him and for the rest of us. thanks for sharing your story.
Hello Eric. Your post had a wonderful impact on me. I have a 19 yr old that has autism and I only wish that I could get him to understand that he has it, but he refuses. How can I get him to accept that he is different? In TX he is grouped under the mentally retarded spectrum of Human Services, and when I have tried to get him to participate in their activities he refuses saying that he doesn't want to be associated with "those" people. Can you help me make him see? I do understand him, in that most of the activities they offer are usually for the severely mentally retarded persons and I am not sure but I think maybe they scare him. We have just recently moved to a large city and I am hoping there are more resources here for him. My email is JeanoneNC@yahoo.com if you would like to write to me. Thank you so much...Hugs
Way to go Eric!! I have a 6 year old son with Autism. I knew VERY early that he was different from his older brother but he was almost 4 before we had a dianosis beyond developmentally delayed. The biggest help I have had comes from a young man just like you. I have a younger cousin, Jonathan that will be 21 in November. He, too, has Autism. He has joined me in chat on Facebook when I've had particular problems with Sean and been a huge help with answering my questions. He really wants to write a book about his experiences in school and things/teachers that worked for him. Very proud of the both of you for helping us parents learn the way your minds work. Hugs to you and your family.