wonderful essay by a student with autism

August 02, 2011 Columns

First Person on the Last Page: No One is Perfect

by Samuel Traxler

Sam Traxler was a new eighth-grader in our school district in 2010, and I've spent the past several months working with him on social language skills. The following essay, composed in his language-arts class, is Sam's response to the prompt "I believe…" Sam's essay offers a truly powerful, inspiring, and insightful message.

—Kara Rollins, MS, CCC-SLP, speech-language pathologist,
Geneva (Ill.) School District #304 (krollins@geneva304.org)

I believe that no one is perfect because everyone has their own problems in life. They have certain fears and challenges that flow through the rivers of their brains. I am a young man who is autistic. Autism can affect anybody, nobody's immune to it. Autism chooses its victims at birth and starts to affect the flow of the brain, no matter what you are doing; autism is like a constant knocking of ideas flowing to one's sight, voice, and one's heart. In my own life, I had to struggle with a lot of obstructions that knocked on my brain, flowing through my head, and getting stuck inside. These obstructions can last what feels like years, and can stop me in my tracks. This will be the story for the rest of my life.

I have gotten into trouble during my life because I have made mistakes, some at school and some at home. Even when I knew I shouldn't have done it, the knocking of my brain sometimes becomes too much to ignore. Even the smallest idea that enters my brain can become a great reaction, these ideas manifest like the hot rays of the sun sliding through a magnifying glass and causing a tiny flame, which could spread into blazes of furious fire. Then, if something similar to the other speck of sight collides within my sight, it causes a nervous and furious reaction, which spreads a lingering flame in my heart. It can happen because, in the deepest part of my being, comes yet another flame. This is my daily struggle, and it's called autism.

Autism took me as its victim at birth and went into my healthy brain, and then caused some unusual effects throughout. But it also did something interesting and amazing. It released an energizing and talented spark that can allow what I call instinctive talent. I have a capability of learning at an extremely fast rate, and I believe that my future is limitless. Life to me is like the notes of a song that fly into my ears. I can feel a joyful tingling inside of my head, and these notes play like a concerto in the depths of my soul and are like a heartwarming instrument for me.

Sometimes, the flames of autism can be overwhelming. Sometimes I struggle during tough situations that I think are not possible for me. Our world is never perfect. And no matter what, I know that I will be alright because I have family and friends who care for me. I would not change the fact that I have autism for the world because it makes me who I am. So no matter what's going on in your life, you should know that the world is not perfect and it never will be, but there are a lot of good things that come from our world and across the universe, so live with a purpose and smile.

         

SLP Kara Rollins with Sam Traxler, whose essay expressed his thoughts about having autism.

 

cite as: Traxler, S. (2011, August 02). First Person on the Last Page: No One is Perfect. The ASHA Leader.

http://www.asha.org/Publications/leader/2011/110802/First-Person-on-the-Last-Page--No-One-is-Perfect.htm