In third grade, I volunteered to work with my peers on the autism spectrum at my school, helping them interact with fellow students and develop social skills. After every session, I was left with one question. Why didn’t they come back to class with me? The answer wasn’t simple. Acceptance isn’t always the first reaction one has when meeting someone unlike themselves. Prejudice is often borne out of ignorance and having little to no experience interacting with others. With about 1 in 57 school children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (CDC), many are not included in traditional classroom settings. Children with autism are kept separate, perpetuating the idea that they are different from what is ‘normal.’ When this is done from a young age, children’s self-esteem is injured. Self-doubt creeps in, preventing the young mind from reaching its full potential.
How do we combat this divide and join together as one interconnected society?
Integration from a young age and a supportive community is key to solving this ever-present question.
Children must be integrated into society from a tender age to foster friendships, create a sense of dependence on society and its members, and begin to banish prejudice from our communities.
We as a social species biologically and psychologically yearn to be a part of a community. A community with similar members gives you a support system in life, gives you life-long friends, and most importantly, allows you to find who you are as an individual.
ASNC’s Ignite Center is the epitome of integration and community catering to those who need it. Their programs that teach integration into society with everyday skills are important in providing those on the spectrum a sense of self-dependency–an important asset when away from the rest of society.
So as we plan to raise the large sum of $200,000, it is important that we remember the significance of the Ignite Center. Money is just one factor. To truly make an impact on society, we must all interact. We must all accept. We must all work towards creating a supportive, all-inclusive society for ourselves. For at the end of the day, society is no more than the sum of its parts; we create it ourselves.
Join us in striving to make it better.
Sam Nangali
Senior Class Advisory
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