Introduction

Hello Blipland. My name is Taylor James Baron. I am 6yr old and I have a Disability called ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) it's not nice but can be very good fun! Mummy says there is NEVER a dull moment when I am around as I am always doing crazy and funny things that always make her smile. That, is on a good day though. On a bad day, it's not so funny and Mummy can get very sad. I try my best not to feel angry and upset, but that's the 'joys' of having this Disability.

I also get angry when we are out and about because of smells, loud noises and big crowds. The smells make me feel sick, loud noises hurt my ears and big crowds make me very nervous and anxious because I don't know what to expect and I HATE being in tight spaces as I feel trapped, so when there is a lot of people around me, I feel trapped and just want to escape. This can sometimes lead to a 'meltdown' which will entail me dropping to the floor into the fetal position and screaming loudly in order to drown out the noises around me. Mummy copes with these situations very well, and will try and calm me down, leave me alone when she knows I just need a few moments, and then gives me a big cuddle before we go on our way again. I DON'T do these things because I am a BRAT or can't get my own way. I do them because it's my 'coping mechanism' ... what do you do when you see something you are scared of? Run away? Scream? Yeah, well, so do I.

I have seen some very nice people come to my Mummy's aid in these crises, and I know they are only trying to help, but sometimes they make me worse. Mummy will try her best to explain to these kind, generous people the situation and they are very polite about it, thank her for the explination and go on their way. Sometimes they will stop a little longer and ask her questions so they can better understand. She obliges and this makes her smile. BUT....I have also seen people make my Mummy cry (or sometimes swear!) because they are just so very mean to her and call me names. One lady even said that I should be put into a 'home' ... I didn't know what this meant because I have a home, it's with my Mummy, Daddy, sister Dana and our Cat Mitzy. It makes me very sad to see Mummy sad, but I can't help the way I feel and though Mummy tries her very best to avoid such situations occuring, my Autism doesn't always allow for it to happen like that.

I have often heard Mummy say that my Autism is an Invisible Disability and that because people can't see it, they don't think there is anything wrong. I understand what she means by this because I have a friend at school called Danny and he has a Disability called Downs Syndrome and he LOOKS different, whereas I know I don't. I like Danny, but only sometimes. He does at times crowd me too much and doesn't always understand that I NEED to be on my own, and he once touched my food, so I refused to eat any of it. I HATE people touching my food :(

Anyway, on the whole, I hope this Journal will open a lot more people's eyes to how an Autistic child see's the world. There are far too many people who still believe in Myths regarding Autism. Yes I am Autistic but I am not the Rainman! I am good with numbers, but I can not read and write. Well, I can, but only just. I may well be 6yr old, but my Mental Age is that of a 4-5yr old. I don't intend to try and change the world via my Journal, but I do hope I can change people's oppinions of Autism and how it affect ME and many other children living with it too, as well as my parents and theirs too.

*My Blip for today is a picture of me and my Mummy*