FOX News offered a double dose of autism stories on its website Tuesday, highlighting the vast reach of a mental disability that has seen its share of politics, but transcends usual divisions in that realm.
Natalia Angulo posted a follow-up to a Presidential plea from a family of an autistic college student.
Billy Pagoni, reported to have more severe symptoms of autism, made the plea along with his family when they learned that every college they contacted did not have a program that would accommodate his specific needs.
Following Pagoni's request, the White House reached out to the family, providing them with information on grants and colleges that have strategies in place to ensure autistic students can receive a college education with minimal disruption.
The Pagonis did not feel any of those programs would completely meet all of Billy's needs (which were not specified by the article), but they relayed their gratitude to the White House for responding promptly to their call for help.
When Billy graduates from high school (he is taking the equivalent at Quinnipac University in Connecticut), he will enroll in Roses for Autism, a career training program designed for autistic people to help them find jobs and transition to life after education. Pagoni's dream job is becoming a chef.
Autism is known for causing eccentric rituals among its members, particularly repetitive behaviors. Pagoni's symptoms were not disclosed in the story; even though he is a legal adult, some subjects of autism stories may wish to keep their health information private. Revealing specifics about Pagoni's case of autism would have stalled the story's flow, as the topic was about his effort to attend college. The narrative is likely to become more common as the legion of autistic children age, exiting the traditional classroom and striving for higher education.
Prospects of a future with autistic people can be frightening, but Dr. Manny Alvarez filed a short editorial on Tuesday advising caregivers of people on the spectrum to disintegrate their fears.
The father of a 15-year-old autistic son, Alvarez wrote an article several years ago where he revealed his worries about the challenges his son would be facing.
"Boy, was I wrong. Autistic children have courage that goes beyond the norm. They work hard and try harder to adapt than most of their peers," he said in his column.
Concerns still reside in Alavarez's mind, including single parents who raise an autistic child alone and communities with limited funding for special education. Alvarez also shared his optimism, sensing his son telling him "I'll make them an offer they can't refuse," in each of their interactions.
The column was a short one, but necessary for a segment of the population that frequently battles paranoia. With no cause or universal treatment in place, the wilderness that is the unknown is often an excuse for the autism community to succumb to fear. Complicating emotional expressions is the desire of perfection for most parents, hoping to shield their children from the dilemmas they once faced. One trend shared in fictional and factual settings is parents irrationally searching to absolve themselves of responsibility for a behavioral or developmental miscue.
Alvarez effectively tells his audience to confront such tremors and let them go, as autistic people present a major opportunity to learn about emotional conduct of the general public.
More information can be accessed by visiting the embedded links.
Comments