This is a very personal chapter to me. This occurred last year in one of my classes. Autism is a serious disorder that affects 3.5 million people in the U.S. I am very good friends with many kids on the spectrum, and I look after them. In the scene, I was the one to tell everyone to stop laughing because he couldn't control it.
Please, be respectful of autistic children. They have a difficult time communicating their emotions, and with their stimulated senses, little things upset him. This is not something that is funny, this is something that he struggles with. Please be respectful and understanding that this is not something they can control.
Do not lable them by their condition
7.
The boy sobbed hysterically as the middle aged man pushed him against the wall.
"Griffith," the man said harshly, "calm down."
Griffith thrashed around, knocking over books from the bookshelf. His hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat.
He was full of anguish and intense anger, everything about him radiated protest and panic.
The man restrained him with his forearm, but he did not calm.
"Griffith!" he screamed at the boy.
"No!" Griffith yelled back, crying.
His face was beet red, and his voice was high pitch. He looked like he was having a seizure as he tremored to get the aid away.
My friend, Jacob, turned to me.
"This is so funny. He's gone insane," he said, snobbishly. He laughed. He laughed as the girl beside him pulled out her phone and began filming the scene.
"NO!" Griffith bawled, still trying to get out of the restraints.
It was slightly terrifying to see the helper attack him, but that didn't matter.
"I WANT MOMMY!" Griffith shouted, his teeth grinding. His face was getting more redder, almost like a fever.
The class burst into laughter. A chourus of laughter at the thought of the high schooler so upset.
"Mommy?" a girl snorted, "He's crying because he misses his mommy." She said it in a mocking tone.
Griffith screamed in agony, tossing fists at the aid.
It was funny on so many levels. He was acting like a wild animal that belonged in a zoo. He did not seem like a sane human.
"MOMMY!" he screamed, "NO BALLOON!"
We looked around to see a balloon hovering a few feet from the action.
"NO BALLOON!" he screamed again, clawing his way out of the man's grasp.
The balloon balanced there, bobbing, unaware of all the chaos it was causing.
"Haha, he's scared of balloons," the girl videotaping scoffed.
We laughed.
Ms.Eleanor spoke quickly, "Class, everyone, leave through the other door."
But, we were too amused by this. It was too entertaining. We wanted to see him lose control and hit the aid.
As we left, our eyes struck on the scene for as long as possible.
Once out of the room the teacher beckoned us to the library.
We were still laughing as we sat, spreading rumors about how crazy Griffith was.
"He belongs in a psych ward," Daniel said.
"Yeah, he belongs in a state juvenile mental hospital," Hunter muttered.
We all cackled with laughter.
"EVERYONE SHUT THE HECK UP!" Mrs. Eleanor thundered over our laughter.
We quieted down, but you could hear the electronic replay of his meltdown.
"Griffith has severe autism and has different emotional reactions than us. He can't express his emotions in our way. He can't communicate. He was upset and angry, but he couldn't communicate it, so he freaked out. This is something he struggles with every day. We don't know how agonizingly painful it is in his head, how helpless he feels."
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