Jones 1

English Department
Salt Lake City Community College
4600 S Redwood Rd
Salt Lake City, UT 84123

To whom it may concern:

Individuals with autism are being treated differently in society. I believe individuals with autism
should be treated equally to everyone and with respect. They should be recognized for more than
the label autistic. Linda Mastroianni, who is a mom of an autistic child says: you say we want
special treatment. No we don't. We want the SAME treatment. From the website Autistic Not
Weird they say “it’s surprising how quickly some people take the word ‘autistic’ and apply it as
a valid description of a child with no extra words necessary.”

Rhetoric is a key concept in English 2010 and unfortunately a difficult one to master. Rhetoric is
persuasion, and more specifically for our class, persuasion in writing. We are all constantly using
rhetoric in our daily conversations. We try to persuade others into where to go, eat, and what to
do. However, to use it in writing, about a more complex topic is a difficult task.

I had many challenges while working on this project. Once I had written a research paper about
autism, I needed to take a side on the information I gave, and turn into a persuasive essay. The
problem I faced with this was the fact that in my research paper I didn’t go into a controversial
topic. I only talked about some factors of autism. What autism is, how their brain works, how
they communicate. Another challenge I faced was the rhetoric aspect. I am not a persuasive
person, and I struggle with writing.

After all my challenges, I finished a rhetorical essay on how people with autism are being treated
differently in society because of the label autistic. There are many things I wish I had the time to
change and fix. If I had spent more time on the project I could have produced a much better
rhetorical essay.

Sincerely,

Kriselle Jones
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Kriselle Jones

Salt Lake Community College

English 2010-439

8 April 2018

Labeling Autism Stigma

It was a cold morning, all the patients of Aspen Ridge were all starting to wake up. My

partner Brad and I, who I was training for the last time, have eighteen patients to dress for

breakfast. This particular morning was demanding of our time, and patience. As we begin our

duties I felt my frustration growing. Brad was excruciatingly slow, which forced me do all of the

work. Although, I knew Brad suffered from some type of disorder, I wasn’t exactly sure what it

was. As the day went on I began to become short with him, telling him all the things he was

doing incorrectly, and how slow he was being. He would give me the look of discouragement

every time I voiced my frustrations.

During our lunch break Brad and I sat and ate our homemade meals awkwardly. Even

though work had calmed down tension was still high. As I went to take the last bite of my pasta

Brad leaned over and said to me “I have autism.” My head sunk, humiliation came over me. So

many thoughts went through my head. I was so rude, and impatient with him. All I could utter

was “I’m sorry.” My mind went a million places, how I was going to treat him differently to

make him feel like less of a burden. As we worked more shifts together we grew closer. I would

ask him questions about autism and how it affects him. As I learned more about all of the things

he struggles with every day I understood more. He told me that his only wish was to be treated

normal, to feel normal.

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I realize now how important it is to be understanding of people who suffer from

disorders. Treating people differently isn’t always the best option. In this case, Brad felt odd

when everyone would tip toe around his feelings. Before I knew everything about Brad I always

treated people with disorders such as autism differently. Now, I always treat them the same as I

would anyone else, with respect.

Almost every one of us know someone with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), either at

work, school, church, or in your family. However, what most of us don’t know, is anything about

the disorder they suffer from. Autism is such an interesting disorder, people who suffer from

ASD have such amazing brain functions. However, even though these individuals have amazing

brain functions, they are being treated differently in society. I strongly believe that people who

suffer from autism should be recognized for more than the label autistic.

Autism is a spectrum disorder, which means it can range from mild to severe. “Autism

affects the brain and makes communicating and interacting with other people (chatting, playing,

hanging out, or socializing with others) more difficult” (Rhonda S. Walter). This disorder isn’t

easily defined. There are different communication interactions and patterns of behavior

associated with autism spectrum disorder.

When people with disabilities are referred to by their medical or educational diagnosis,

we have devalued them as human beings. For many people with disabilities, their medical

diagnoses define who they are. While labels are often useful in communication with other

professionals and in determining services for persons with a disability, they rarely tell us

much about the person ("Indiana University Bloomington").

A diagnoses does not define a person. There is so much more to learn about an individual other

than the fact that their autistic.

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Children and teens with autism generally have a variety of behaviors. Most suffer from

some sort of social disorder, and often ADHD. People with autism experience difficulties in

each of the following areas; difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and non-

verbal communication, and lack of imaginative play (Answers for Autism ). Unfortunately, many

do not understand what is socially appropriate. There are times they may appear uninterested and

even bored. They may have difficulties understanding gestures, body language, facial

expressions and tone of voice (Answers for Autism ). From experience, people with autism will

have obsessions either with an interest or even a routine. When they set their mind to knowing

everything about a subject nothing stands in their way.

Children with autism did not choose to be autistic. This is not caused by bad parenting or

because the child is spoiled. Autistic people have their own opinions and thoughts. Some

may not necessarily have the vocabulary and language skills to communicate their needs

but that doesn't mean they can't feel or think for themselves. (Mastroianni 2013)

According to the DSM-5 they can be “insist on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or

ritualized patterns or verbal nonverbal behavior” (Autism Speaks). Having a strict routine for a

child with autism is key, they need organization. “The tendency to insist on sameness can also

make acquiring life skills difficult. For instance, issues around eating and self-feeding can be

complicated by a child’s acceptance of only a limited number of foods – preferences that may

also be connected to sensory issues surrounding taste, texture, or appearance” (Activities of

Daily Living).

Children and teens who suffer from autism may have a range of unfavorable behaviors.

Some examples are; refuse or ignore requests, behave in socially inappropriate ways, like taking

their clothes off in public, be aggressive or have tantrums, engage in self-stimulatory behavior,
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like rocking or hand-flicking, hurt themselves or other children – for example, by head-banging

or biting. (Network). In her article, Mastroianni states “I want society to accept diversity in all

forms and to support one another.” Just because someone is different, or acts differently than

what is normal in society does not mean they should be treated differently.

Communication is a difficult task even without suffering from autism. “For children with

Autism Spectrum Disorder, communication development happens differently and more slowly”

(How Autism Affects Communication in Young Children). As you speak to them, they may

seem more interested in the sounds around them instead of your voice.

Labeling has always created negative images when applied to people with disabilities, as

it always projects the disability rather than the person’s gifts and talents. These labels fill us with

feelings and expectations that may have nothing to do with the specific person’s abilities, needs,

interests or preferences ("Indiana University Bloomington"). Learning about different disorders

such as autism is such an eye opener. These children have such complex thoughts that we don’t

understand. Learning to better understand what our peers are going through and how they behave

is so important. Most importantly, if we recognize that children and teens who suffer from ASD

learn differently, communicate differently, and sometimes act differently we can start to become

closer as a community and population.

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Works Cited

“Activities of Daily Living.” Activities of Daily Living | Interactive Autism Network, 5 Dec.
2013, iancommunity.org/cs/challenging_behavior/activities_of_daily_living.

“Autism.” Edited by Rhonda S. Walter, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, Aug. 2016,
kidshealth.org/en/teens/autism.html.

“DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria.” Autism Speaks, 28 July 2013, www.autismspeaks.org/what-

autism/diagnosis/dsm-5-diagnostic-criteria.

“How Does Autism Affect Each Individual?” Care Trade, www.care-trade.org/answers-for-

autism/autism-facts/how-does-autism-affect-each-individual/.

“How Autism Affects Communication in Young Children.” How Autism Affects

Communication, www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Autism-Corner/How-Autism-Affects-
Communication.aspx.

“Indiana University Bloomington.” IIDC - The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at
Indiana University, www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/Whats-in-a-Name-Our-Only-Label-
Should-Be-Our-Name-Avoiding-the-Stereotypes.

Mastroianni, Linda. “My Autistic Kid Wants Equal, Not ‘Special Treatment.’” HuffPost Canada,
HuffPost Canada, 20 Oct. 2013, www.huffingtonpost.ca/linda-mastroianni/autism-letter-
karla-begley_b_3786951.html.

Raising Children Network Commonwealth of Australia; sector=non-government. “Challenging

Behaviour: Children and Teenagers with Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Raising Children
Network: the Australian Parenting Website, Raising Children Network ,
raisingchildren.net.au/articles/autism_spectrum_disorder_managing_behaviour.html

“The Labelling Issue, by a 'Mildly Autistic' 'High-Functioning' 'Person with Asperger

Syndrome'.” Autistic Not Weird, 9 Feb. 2017, autisticnotweird.com/labels/.