I am a fourteen-year-old boy, studying at present, at a special education school. A few months after I turned one, my mom started noticing that I behaved differently or "strangely" (in her precise words) as compared to other toddlers. She also noted that such atypical behavior started surfacing immediately after I was administered a succession of vaccinations. As months passed, she started becoming anxious as I stopped making eye contact with all, even her. I refused to look people in the eye when addressed and started exhibiting repetitive behavioral patterns (for instance, I would solve a puzzle, jumble it, and again set about solving it) (Nagle, 2011). At age two, I'd stopped talking and seemed to be lost in my own world. If my parents took me out with them to supermarkets or other places having bright or flashing lights, I would grow fussy and distressed. Every small sound had me on edge; I was quick to startle. Even in a deep slumber, I would suddenly tense and stiffen, despite not hearing any sound. My parents' desperate attempts to engage me in normal play and get me to be attentive and responsive ended in failure. To exacerbate their frustration, I was eating only two foods all the time and had developed excessive sensitivity to particular fabrics. At age three, I was communicating completely, both verbally and non-verbally (Johnson & Rensselaer, 2008).My language/speech and occupational therapy commenced when I was two and my therapist recommended testing me for autism spectrum disorder, a test which came back positive about the time I turned three. During preliminary assessment, my score fell within the ADI-R's (Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised) clinically significant levels in every area. My intellectual capacity couldn't be assessed using standardized means at that age. While a nonverbal tool was used, I ended up being fixated...
Likewise, I developed an unnatural interest in a spiral-bound stimulus book for the entirely wrong reason: the binding and not the books content, as was required of me (Grissom, 2012). Just after getting diagnosed, I was enrolled in OT (occupational therapy, for tackling my sensory problems) and ABA (applied behavior analysis for twenty hours weekly for reducing my tantrum behaviors and fostering adaptive skills), besides language/speech therapy.
My parents were recommended by a friend of the family to admit me to a Montessori in our locality in order to improve my development; however, this only worsened problems for us all. I failed to imitate other children's behavior or even play with them. At age 4, I was babbling and only using single words instead of sentences while talking, unlike my peers. This inability to convey my feelings, thoughts and views verbally left me highly distressed. My parents received daily reports of my abnormal behavior, as did my peers (to whom our teacher would express insights into my conduct). Assembly required all students to congregate in a circle, but I was always running into its midst and dancing, which was initially amusing. However, with time, it was viewed as a disruption and I was labeled by teachers as a problem student. The constant negative school reports led my parents to approach a psychologist who recommended placing me in a school for special needs students, together with therapy two times a week (Ross & Jolly, 2006).
Hence, I ended up enrolled in Springfield Elementary School's special education program. My parents viewed this placement as rather promising. The guidance and assistance of a professional counselor also aided them in coping with my problem. The school's individualized education program (IEP) team established improved…
