By Tracy Kedar for Kveller
My 17-year-old son, Ido, is on a mission to change the world for people with severe autism. He is a tireless advocate, blogger, frequent presenter at universities and autism conferences, and the author of a book about autism which has even been assigned in graduate level university classes.
As
Ido writes in the introduction to his blog, “I am an autistic guy with a
message. I spent the first half of my life completely trapped in
silence. The second, on becoming a free soul. I had to fight to get an
education. Now I am a regular education student. I communicate by typing
on an iPad or a letter board. My book, Ido in Autismland: Climbing Out
of Autism’s Silent Prison, is an autism diary, telling the story of my
symptoms, education, and journey into communication. I hope to help
other autistic people find a way out of their silence too.”Ido seeks to educate the professionals in the autism field to understand severe, nonverbal autism better and to provide children with a richer, more appropriate education and a true means to communication. He has become a source of hope for parents of children with autism and for people with autism as well. As a family, it has been a remarkable journey of triumph over challenges, even as Ido works daily to face new goals and struggles.
Kveller asked that I interview Ido about his life living with autism. His answers were all typed letter by letter on a keyboard.
What is severe autism?
Autism is a neurological condition that is called a spectrum disorder. I have severe autism which means I can’t speak and I have really challenging motor control problems. It doesn’t mean I have cognitive delay, or no empathy, or no interest in people, but these are common beliefs. The term “spectrum disorder” may be confusing because I think we are actually looking at different neurological conditions, not degrees of the same condition. After all, colds and AIDS are both viruses but no one refers to a Virus Spectrum Disorder.
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