Holidays in Isolation

Linda Andron-Ostrow, CEO 

Normally, I’d like to share with you a positive holiday message to wrap up the year. However, this year, I have learned about an unfortunate story of isolation and autism. When you read about Neli, it is my hope that you will share my utter concern and will join the Autistic Self Advocacy Network action to support him. I will also share with you the story of Carly, who is an excellent example of breaking through isolation. I hope you will take great joy in hearing the words of a young woman who has found a way to communicate, and consider the basic rights Neli is being deprived of. 

Neli Larson, a young man diagnosed with autism, will be spending his third Christmas in prison…. but this year, in solitary confinement. His crime? In 2010 Neli was waiting outside the library for it to open – alone and wearing a hoodie. Neli was profiled for suspicious behavior and when the police approached him, Neli did not know how to respond. Instead of following the police requests for his name, his rigid thinking and fight or flight instinct (characteristic of those with autism) lead to an escalation and his restraint by the police officer. Neli was scared, and as a young adult diagnosed with autism, coupled with a low IQ, Neli did not know how to respond appropriately to the police social cues. From my years working with families and young people, I know that it is everyone’s greatest fear that the outward signs of severe autism will be misjudged as aggressive and therefore criminal. I beg of you to take a look here and read a Washington Post account of the cruel and unusual punishment Niel encounters. I hope that by informing you and your loved ones, you can come up with an action plan that will keep your children, your patients and yourselves safe when dealing with legal confrontations. I also encourage you to take action on behalf of Neli, who is losing his coping skills and is not only being denied support – he’s being completely shunned for his diasability. Please click here or here to take action…. your action can be as simple as copying and pasting an e-mail to Govenor Mc Aulifee of Virgina.

I am sharing Neli’s story with you to shed light on a grave situation that is important for us to join as a community to create the just world that we want for our community. I also want to shed some light on an inspiring story about a young adult who had a communication breakthrough. I would like to introduce to you Carly, an incredible teenager from Canada. Maybe you already heard Carly’s story, but just because the media feels the story already ended, doesn’t mean that it did. Carly goes on to write books and continues to inspire our community and the value of believing in full integration. Carley’s autistic behavior kept her from participating in many activities and isolated her from the world. But then she began to type and reveal a completely different part of herself. Her ability to communicate has helped her immensely because she is able to participate in the world she has so much to say to. We are not saying that learning how to type will solve all of our communication problems, rather we hope to send the message that we must keep exploring ways to communicate with our loved ones, because we never know when something may click.

So during this holiday season, we ask you to give the gift of patience and and curiosity so that you may look past the outward symptoms of autism that you loved ones present into their deep core (we know is no easy task!). With a little bit of time and creativitity, you’ll learn that they may have so much to share with us.