Is the depiction of Noah an account of a person with autism? Does the novel give you some perspective on what it must be like trying to navigate the world with the several conditions detailed that are included under the banner of autism? What changes can society make to ensure the world is more accessible for persons with autism?
I think that people with Autism all see the world differently, just like people without Autism. No two perspectives are the same and there is no point in trying to make out otherwise. Two people with autism experience life differently, even from each other so while seeing a pandemic through Noah's perspective (though not really his because the story with Noah and Adam is written in the third person) is beneficial to see how life is for someone with Autism, we cannot compare his experiences to others. Just the same, we cannot compare two people who grew up poor, because there are several other factors that played into their lives aside from finances, such as job loss, potential addictions such as alcoholism or gambling, and while they possibly shared the same experiences of not being able to afford things they needed or wanted, their experiences were still different. Similarly, we cannot compare two people who grew up in black communities because those communities are not the same communities and while they possibly share the same experiences of racism, they experienced it differently, as well as other aspects such as school, work, relationships, etc. The point being, just because two people are part of a common group, doesn't mean we can understand their whole group based on that one person. We cannot understand how people with autism navigate the world through a pandemic just based on Noah's experiences. While the novel can show us Noah's experience, it cannot represent how all people with autism navigate the world. (Also, it was not very in-depth in my opinion and if Bradley wanted to go deeper into how someone with autism navigates the world during the pandemic, he should've written from Noah's perspective instead of doing it in third-person.)
Society can make the world more accessible to people with autism by providing more programs to ensure they can live on their own. There are not enough that provide skills or work for people with autism, not even in Canada or Atlantic Canada. Statistics say that every 1 in 66 children develops autism, and this is even higher since the start of the millennium when in 2000, stats said 1 in every 150 kids developed autism.
(https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder-children-youth-canada-2018.html)
To put that into perspective, at the beginning of most of our lives, an average school size had 350 students, so you'd maybe see three people on the spectrum in that population. Now, based on the statistics of the average class size, you would see someone on the spectrum in every third classroom.
(https://www.cmec.ca/299/education-in-canada-an-overview/index.html#:~:text=Schools%20and%20Enrolments&text=3%2C400%20secondary,is%20350%20students%20per%20school)
(https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/secondary-school-class-sizes-and-student-performance-in-canada#:~:text=PISA%20measures%20average%20class%20size,high%20of%2030.1%20in%20Quebec.)
I could write a whole essay on the data and what people on the spectrum need, but basically, I think that the policy that school is available until the age of 21 for people with autism (and other disabilities) should be up the individual and not to their caregivers. I think that when people with autism get money from the government, it should be heavily guarded by banks so as not to be taken advantage of by their caregivers. I think more programs should be available to them so they can learn valuable life skills not taught in school, (how to manage money, cook, drive etc.) Speaking as someone who has tries endlessly to advocate for someone with autism to gain valuable life skills, it is hard to get the government to listen and to get them to understand. I think society needs to listen more and take opinions into account from the people who are in the group that the government is trying to address or accommodate for. I think people with autism should have a platform where they can express their opinions, and this includes non-verbal folks on the spectrum because expressing your opinions doesn't need to require a voice, it needs to require respect and patience.
Society can make the world more accessible to people with autism by providing more programs to ensure they can live on their own. There are not enough that provide skills or work for people with autism, not even in Canada or Atlantic Canada. Statistics say that every 1 in 66 children develops autism, and this is even higher since the start of the millennium when in 2000, stats said 1 in every 150 kids developed autism.
(https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder-children-youth-canada-2018.html)
To put that into perspective, at the beginning of most of our lives, an average school size had 350 students, so you'd maybe see three people on the spectrum in that population. Now, based on the statistics of the average class size, you would see someone on the spectrum in every third classroom.
(https://www.cmec.ca/299/education-in-canada-an-overview/index.html#:~:text=Schools%20and%20Enrolments&text=3%2C400%20secondary,is%20350%20students%20per%20school)
(https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/secondary-school-class-sizes-and-student-performance-in-canada#:~:text=PISA%20measures%20average%20class%20size,high%20of%2030.1%20in%20Quebec.)
I could write a whole essay on the data and what people on the spectrum need, but basically, I think that the policy that school is available until the age of 21 for people with autism (and other disabilities) should be up the individual and not to their caregivers. I think that when people with autism get money from the government, it should be heavily guarded by banks so as not to be taken advantage of by their caregivers. I think more programs should be available to them so they can learn valuable life skills not taught in school, (how to manage money, cook, drive etc.) Speaking as someone who has tries endlessly to advocate for someone with autism to gain valuable life skills, it is hard to get the government to listen and to get them to understand. I think society needs to listen more and take opinions into account from the people who are in the group that the government is trying to address or accommodate for. I think people with autism should have a platform where they can express their opinions, and this includes non-verbal folks on the spectrum because expressing your opinions doesn't need to require a voice, it needs to require respect and patience.
Hi Jessie-Lynn,
I think that you are completely right, each person with autism has their own reality, which means that they likely also need specific and relevant support for their situation. Something that stuck out to me in the novel about Noah's experience is how new environment affected him. Specifically, he recalls therapy sessions helping him feel safer and more relaxed in his daily surroundings. However, this was disrupted when he went to school and when he moved to Australia with Adam (266 & 275). Considering the circumstances, it is unlikely that moving to Australia and those changes could have been avoided; however, I think that Noah's experiences suggest a few changes that we, as a society, could make to be more supportive. Since Noah found going to school so overwhelming because of the new smells, noises, and people, I wonder how helpful it would have been to gradually introduce him to this new environment. For instance, going to school part-time to help him adjust. That said, I think that consulting with Noah would likely make this a positive accommodation so that he had some control over the situation. I think that there is an undeniable value in working with people with autism, where possible, rather than making decisions for them.
I think that you are completely right, each person with autism has their own reality, which means that they likely also need specific and relevant support for their situation. Something that stuck out to me in the novel about Noah's experience is how new environment affected him. Specifically, he recalls therapy sessions helping him feel safer and more relaxed in his daily surroundings. However, this was disrupted when he went to school and when he moved to Australia with Adam (266 & 275). Considering the circumstances, it is unlikely that moving to Australia and those changes could have been avoided; however, I think that Noah's experiences suggest a few changes that we, as a society, could make to be more supportive. Since Noah found going to school so overwhelming because of the new smells, noises, and people, I wonder how helpful it would have been to gradually introduce him to this new environment. For instance, going to school part-time to help him adjust. That said, I think that consulting with Noah would likely make this a positive accommodation so that he had some control over the situation. I think that there is an undeniable value in working with people with autism, where possible, rather than making decisions for them.
This is wonderful, Jessie. Those are fantastic resources. I hope everyone who participated in this discussion took the opportunity to read up on this and check out these sources of information.
Like Jessie-Lynn has said below, I think people with ASD see the world a lot differently than we do- as an aunt to a 5 year old ASD Nephew, we have met lots of families within his little life and one interesting thing that I have noticed is that no two people with ASD are the same, and therefore it makes it very difficult to compare what one person experiences compared to another. While the book was written in a way that allows us a slight look into Noah's world, until we live with ASD it is hard to judge whether or not the description that Noah portrays is accurate. Again, like Jessie-Lynn pointed out, Noah's experiences in the book does not represent how all people with ASD see the world (in this case during the disaster that is occurring in the book).
There are a lot of changes that society can make to help ensure the world is more accessible for persons with ASD- in my opinion one of the biggest things that needs to be available is more information on ASD itself! Like I said, no two people with the disorder are the same, and until people and society are educated I think it will be harder for us to incorporate positive changes.
More programs and funding need to be made available for people and families living with ASD to help ensure that these people are reaching their best potential.
There are a lot of changes that society can make to help ensure the world is more accessible for persons with ASD- in my opinion one of the biggest things that needs to be available is more information on ASD itself! Like I said, no two people with the disorder are the same, and until people and society are educated I think it will be harder for us to incorporate positive changes.
More programs and funding need to be made available for people and families living with ASD to help ensure that these people are reaching their best potential.
I agree with all of you (Jessie, Nicole and Colbie)! While reading the book you get a glimpse of Noah's life, it sure isn't as much as I'd hope, but it's a start. I personally believe if we raise awareness (including people with autism in movies books and TV shows, shout out to Atypical) we can sensitize people and share the right information about autism, I don't like the word, but in a way we can 'normalize' the condition and make it so people treat them as humans instead of aliens. Everyone with autism will experience it differently as explained by Jessie, and I agree with the fact that more programs and funding need to be made available to both people and families living with autism as mentioned by Colbie, but I also believe that programs in schools should be implemented to help people with autism adapt and transition and give them the same opportunities as everyone else like Nicole explained. Establishing a healthy environment for them where they feel included and understood is extremely important. I believe we could see a change in Noah when he started working in astronomy, he was working on his passion and his colleagues made sure he was included and gave him the opportunities he deserved even if that meant taking him out of his comfort zone. I don't believe this is wrong, I believe there is a time for everything, and speaking in front of other people helped Noah in his personal growth in some way even though it might not have been as comfortable as one would like. Autism is never a reason to put someone down, we should encourage them to work on their goals and passions and support them when something challenging may come around, like for Noah speaking in front of people about his discovery, his family and friends were there to support him.