Journal Entry

 

Steve is now of the age in which he can be considered as an adult. Due to ASD, he has had very few friends in his life, and even though he wants to have some, this has proved to be very difficult for him. Steve has a speech problem, and he cannot communicate properly. When he tries to communicate to the best of his ability, Steve can only use simple words such as yes, no, and okay (Autism Society, 2018). These words are mostly passive, and thus Steve cannot start a conversation or express feelings to other people. Inability to start a conversation around the issues he feels like talking with other people makes him feel frustrated and useless while he is with other people (Diehl et al., 2016). As a result, he admitted to his therapist that he enjoys the company of himself with his phone as they understand each other well. 

Due to his communication defects, Steve finds his community a struggle to live in. as a child, some people used to call him stupid.  People have always looked at him negatively and do not expect much from him. This has made him feel like someone less when compared to other people of his age. Even in drawing, where he has shown great skills, the community does not offer him the opportunity to show his skills (Autism Society, 2018). His lack of emotional control has become trouble for everyone around him, especially those who do not understand him. His temperament, for example, made parents tell their children not to play with him. This left him with no option but to stay alone. Before the diagnosis of his condition, teachers used to send him out of the class whenever he would make some unusual noises in class, and other children would laugh at him (Diehl et al., 2016). This made him feel like he did not belong to a school. Even when he worked at the local stall, his lack of emotional control made him lose his job after he walked out without permission. 

With all these experiences, Steve feels as if it’s his problem that makes it hard to connect well with his people. His anger, complications in speech, making scaring noises as he sees it makes friends and the community fear him. However, it important that the community and friends are made aware that Steve has a condition that makes him the person he is. Therefore, other people need to understand. On the other hand, Steve needs to have some essential social skills that will help him connect well with others in society and maintain the relationship for a long time. 

 

References

Autism Society. (2018, July 18). Social/Relationships. https://www.autism-society.org/living-with-autism/autism-through-the-lifespan/adulthood/socialrelationships/

Diehl, S., Wegner, J., & Rubin, E. (2016). Children with autism spectrum disorders: Three case studies. The ASHA Leader, 15(1), 14-17. https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.ftr2.15012010.14