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Autism
Autism: A Spiritual Perspective
Options for
Understanding and Clarification of the Disorder
Rev. Oreste J. D’Aversa
All - Faiths Minister, Spiritual Visionary
Disclaimer
This article is designed to provide information in regard to
the subject matter covered. It is distributed with the understanding
that the author is not engaged in rendering medical, psychological,
legal or other professional service. If medical, psychological, legal,
professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services
of a professional, in that field, should be sought. The principles and
concepts presented in this article are the opinions of the author and
based on his interpretations of the aforementioned principles. The
author is not liable or responsible to any person or entity for any
errors contained within this article, website, or for any special,
incidental, or consequential damage caused or alleged to be caused
directly or indirectly by the information contained in this article or
on my website. Any application of the techniques, ideas and suggestions
in this article are at the reader's sole discretion and risk.
Introduction
In your reading of this
article, kindly keep an open mind and be “open to the possibility” that
some of the ideas mentioned may be useful to those helping and working
with children who have Autism, their parents and caregivers. The
information provided here is “in addition to and not instead of” current
established medical protocols and practices for Autism.
It is the desire of the
author to give the reader a “different perspective” on the challenges of
Autism and offer some support tools to help all those involved as they
embark on the journey with those that have Autism.
What is Autism?
“Autism is a complex
developmental disability that typically appears during the first three
years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects
the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas
of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and adults
with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal
communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. One
should keep in mind however, that autism is a spectrum disorder and it
affects each individual differently and in
varying degrees - this is why early diagnosis is so crucial. By
learning the signs, a child can begin benefiting from one of the many
specialized intervention programs.”
“Autism is one of five
disorders that falls under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental
Disorders (PDD), a category of neurological disorders characterized by
“severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development.”
The five disorders under PDD are:
-
Autistic Disorder
-
Asperger's Disorder
-
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD)
-
Rett's Disorder
-
PDD-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)
“Each of these disorders has
specific diagnostic criteria which has
been outlined in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic &
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR).”
From
The Autism Society of America - www.Autism-Society.org
Characteristics of Autism
“Children with autism
demonstrate
behaviors from three characteristic domains. The First Domain
is
Impairments in
Social Interaction.
A child with autism
may show poor eye gaze, may not want to be touched
or hugged, may not understand that other people are not
thinking about the same things they are thinking about, and may not understand facial
expressions.
The
Second Domain is
Impairments in Communication.
Children
with autism may have limited verbal speech, or use words without
an attached meaning. They may repeat words back to you (echolalia) and
their language may not be used to convey meaning in a typical context.
The
Third Domain is
Stereotyped Behaviors.
A child with autism
may engage in rocking, spinning, toe walking or hand flapping, may
demonstrate
hyper/hypo-sensitivity to sensory stimuli, and may adhere to strict
routines.
However,
children with autism do not all show the same behaviors in each of those
domains. This is how children with Autism are different from each other.
Autism presents as a spectrum of behaviors
from mild to severe.”
From the
Educator’s Guide Experiencing Autism – Video www.AutismOntario.com
Being Human
We human beings are made up of four
components.
1. The Physical
(of the Body),
2. The Mental
(of the Mind),
3. The Emotional
(of the Heart)
4. The Spiritual
(of the Spirit).
Each of the components has a
function of its own and work interdependently of one another and
together comprising a human being or the attributes of being human. If
any of these four components are out of balance, we
experience “dis-ease”. When we experience “dis-ease” in
the body, it becomes sickness; when in the mind, it becomes mental
illness of sorts; in the heart, it becomes “heart ache” or emotional
disorders and in the spiritual, it is viewed as being “spiritually
disconnected”.
What if?
What if the part of us
that is true spirit, the part that is unseen (though we all know
exists), the part that makes the you in you, decided that once it
became human it didn’t really like it here? Simply based on all the
trials and tribulations of modern day earth and all the miseries
inflicted by humans upon other humans, this spirit, this being came to
the conclusion that life on earth is just to difficult to deal with.
But what to do? Once this
spirit, this being has incarnated into human form it cannot go back to
where it came from so perhaps it locks itself up in its own world, the
world of Autism, where no one, or no thing can hurt this precious
being. A world where this precious being does not need to interact with
others so there is no risk of harm.
What if this spirit is
an advanced soul or this human being has
hyper-sensitive (overly sensitive) senses? There is the case of Dr.
Temple Grandin,
who is Autistic, she is a professor at Colorado State University and a
professional designer of "humane" slaughterhouses.
(See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin and
www.YouTube.com/watch?v=46ycu3JFRrA).
She has extraordinary abilities with animals. Is she not a spiritual
teacher, instructing mankind on the humane treatment of animals? Her
hyper-sensitivity lets her
observe things that though are present, are not viewed as important to
the rest of us, and yet
she
has revolutionized the cattle
industry. Her pioneering research in the field of animal behavior makes
her a sought after expert in her field and makes her quite in demand for
her paid professional services. Is she eccentric or does she possess
spiritual gifts that need to be better understood like other people with
Autism?
Love
It is my personal
belief that there is no love as strong as a mother and father’s love for
their child. This love transcends all space and time. Has this being
chosen this parent(s), this family to incarnate into to learn some life
lessons to evolve their soul and to teach their parent(s) as well?
Perhaps the reason these children are here, in this vast quantity
is to teach their parents (and all of us for that matter) about
love. Not the kind of “selfish” love where one is wrapped up in their
own world and being narcissistic, but a “self less” love where we love
ourselves in a healthy way and reach out to others to help them. By
helping those with Autism are we not in turn helping ourselves and
learning more about love?
It is my belief the
children of Autism are here to teach us about love and to be better
people. Teaching does not always need to be verbal with books in a
classroom and a white board; it can also be non-verbal and one-on-one.
Are the children of Autism our spiritual teachers? Are they here to
educate us about love? Are they here to instruct us how to come out of
ourselves in order to help them come out of themselves?
Some Practical Exercises
The following are some
suggested guided meditations and visualizations to help
caretakers that have loved ones with Autism. The exercises here are
meant to be used “in addition to and not instead of” any current
professionals and healing modalities you are working with. These are
some additional tools in your Autism “tool box” to aid you in your
journey.
These guided meditations and
visualizations are meant to be experienced; however you can get enough
of an understanding to do them yourself or to work with someone else to
help you create the exercises.
1. Meditation – Spirit to Spirit
Meditation simply
described is aligning Mind, Body, Emotions and Spirit, so that these
components function as one. Meditating is the practice of quieting the
mind of all its chatter to enable you to
be open to the thoughts of God (the God of your understanding), the
thoughts of the Universe, your Higher Self or whatever your belief
system is regarding a higher consciousness.
If you have never
meditated before, the following exercise will help you achieve a
meditative state of mind. It is very simple, enjoyable and is called
the “1 – 2 – 3 – 4” Method of Meditation. Find a nice, quiet
place where you will not be disturbed. You may want to create some
sacred space for these exercises. A place away from all distractions,
noise and that is peaceful.
1.
Take a slow deep
breath in for a count up to four – one, two, three, four.
2.
Then slowly exhale
out for a count up to four – one, two, three, four.
3.
Take a total of 3 or 4
slow deep breaths.
-
Then just say to yourself, in your
mind, “1 – 2 – 3 – 4” over and over again.
-
The purpose of this is to focus your
mind on the counting and away from the chatter that is with us in our
mind.
-
There is no right way or wrong way to
perform this meditation. Do what you feel is comfortable and natural
for you. There is no need for stress or strain.
-
In time you will have no need for
“1 – 2 – 3 – 4” you will be able to close your eyes and go into a
calm, relaxing and peaceful meditative state. Start off with a one or
two minutes. Work your way to 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes
in the evening. Even a few minutes during your day if you wish.
Once in this conscious
state of meditation, and without stress or strain, in your mind, just
say the loved one’s name that is experiencing Autism. Ever so gently,
without force and with love, call out to the loved one and just ask
him/her how you can help them or ask anything you like, then just wait
and see what comes up.
Here, in essence you
are communicating with your loved one that is experiencing Autism, “Mind
– to – Mind” (or “Soul – to – Soul) (Telepathically). You are sending
out a message in your mind to that person. In return you may receive a
message back in the form of a “picture”
(Clairvoyance (Seeing)) in your
mind that may flash for an instant, or you may “feel” something (Clairsentience
(Feeling/Touching),
or you may “hear” something (Clairaudience
(Hearing/Listening)), you
may come to “know”
something (Claircognizance
(Knowing)), you may
“smell”
something
(Clairalience
(Smelling)), or have a “taste” of something (Clairgustance (tasting)),
just be open and let
go and see what comes up.
When you receive a
message or multiple messages have an audio recorder by your side or
write them down as soon as you get out of or while in the meditative
state. Keep a journal handy and write down the date and time and what
message you received regardless of whether or not it makes sense at the
time. Then every few weeks look back at your journal and observe if
there is some type of insight, message or pattern that may lead you to a
better understanding about the person with Autism.
2. Guided Mediation Experiencing Autism
Guided mediation and
creative visualization are techniques whereby another person, with their
voice instructs you to take a journey, in your mind, to help you have a
certain experience. It can be experiencing a trip to the beach, the
mountains, instructing you to profoundly relax in a way you have never
relaxed before or it can be to help you to experience something you have
never experienced before.
In this guided mediation,
first you achieve a meditative state, and then you will be taking a
journey to experience the life of someone that has Autism.
Start by relaxing your body,
beginning with the top of your head. Pay special attention to your
respirations and breathing. Mentally breathe and release all the
tension and strain in your face, the back of your head, shoulders, arms,
elbows, wrists, hand and fingers. Then do the same to your upper back,
your mid-back, lower back, your chest, stomach, into your pelvis, down
your legs, your thighs, knees, calves, ankles, feet and
out your toes. With every breathe that you take, with every beat of
your heart you become more calm and more relaxed.
Activate your imagination
and picture a well lit flight of stairs, seven steps in all, a well lit
flight of stairs leading up to a large double door. This is the entrance
to the most beautiful place could ever imagine. Now mentally see
yourself walking up the well lit flight of stairs until you reach the
top step, then the doors open into the most beautiful place in the
world, the most beautiful place you could ever envision. Now in this,
the most beautiful place in the world, notice a building to your right
and door with a sign on it that states “Autism Experience”. Go into
that room and notice in corner of the room a space suit. This space
suit has the ability, once you get into to it to help you experience
some of the characteristics of someone that has Autism. When in public,
others will just see you as a normal person without the space suit.
Now get into the space
suit. You will notice there are speakers in the headpiece. These
speakers will tell you how to act when with other people and/or when in
public. Follow the instructions as they are spoken to you without
judging them. After you place the space suit on, you will see a door
marked “Playground” now walk through the door and you will be in a
playground with other children.
As you are walking onto
the playground you see a group of children and you go to them. They are
playing with one another, holding, hugging and touching each other as
children often do. The children ask you to play with them and you do not
feel right about that, as you are there just to enjoy the day and the
playground. You won’t look the children in the eyes for any period of
time or not at all as you do not know these children. And they are
making certain facial expressions that you just don’t understand.
Shouldn’t children be happy on a playground? Yet some are happy, some
are not, some are sad, some are angry and some faces look mean! That
does not make any sense at all! This is starting to get you a little
frustrated!
You do not understand
what they are thinking about as they are playing and yet they are
talking about other things. Are they thinking about playing or thinking
about other things? You are not sure. Why would you not think and talk
about playing if you are playing? You also feel uncomfortable
when they want to play with you and hug or hold you. You are not sure
about this touching thing. Usually just the people close to you touch
you and these are a bunch of strangers. This is getting more
frustrating and you really don’t understand their behaviors!
You’re speaking in your
head but the words are not coming out of your mouth so well or not at
all. These words are difficult for you to use. You’re talking to people
in your mind , why can’t they understand you? This talking thing is a
lot of work! People should be able to understand you without having to
talk. You’re getting even more frustrated!
You’re really getting
overloaded with all this stuff, the sounds, bright lights, smells,
people and lots, lots more. It’s all too much for you to handle. You
think you’re going to stay to yourself and just play by yourself.
You’re going to spin things around, spin yourself around and carry
around your “thing”. Your thing never gives you any trouble. It’s
doesn’t talk back to you or want anything. It’s just there and you like
that. There is a lot going on in this big world and some of it’s not so
good. There are lots of bad things happening, bad people doing bad
things to nice people. It just doesn’t make any sense at all. In your
inner world everything is just fine and no one is hurting anyone else or
doing bad things.
Well it’s time for you
to leave the playground and go back to the building and take off your
space suit.
You walk back in your mind
to the building and walk through the door marked “Autism Experience”.
There you take off your space suit and place it on the rack that you
originally got it from. You leave the building and go back to your most
beautiful place in the world the most beautiful place you could ever
imagine.
You see the door to the
flight of stairs and you walk down them ever so gently, ever so slowly.
You take 5 deep breathes and with each breathe you slowly come back to
the here and now feeling refreshed, re-energized and re-vitalized,
having had a pleasant experience, and getting a better understanding of
the world for a person with Autism.
This is just a brief
insight using guided imagery to help you experience the life of a person
with Autism. I would encourage you to read up on the various
characteristics of Autism to get a much better understanding of the
various behaviors. As some behaviors may be a combination and may vary
to their degree and severity.
3. Creative Visualization experiencing wellness with Autistic person,
family members, friends and other people
In this creative visualization exercise you want to do the same part of
the exercise as above with the seven steps,
however this time the door will open, you
will be in your beautiful place again and you will be experiencing a
life of wellness for your loved one with Autism and your entire family
with all parties achieving wellness, with wellness being anything you
want it to mean. In your visualizations see the person with Autism
reaching their full potential, achieving their goals, being happy and
doing their purpose on earth. See all the parties, being happy, joyous
and full of love.
No one knows what the future
holds for any of us so why not make it a future full of hope, happiness
and good things. It has been written, “what the mind can conceive it
can achieve”, so visualize good things and place it in the hands of your
Higher Power.
Perform all these
exercises for a period of 21 to 30 days to attain the total
effectiveness of what these exercises have to offer.
Conclusion
Modern
medicine has no cure for Autism at this time. This has been a brief
look at Autism and the various characteristics of this challenging
disorder. We are more than our bodies; we are made of the physical,
mental, emotional and spiritual. These four components makes us
homo-sapiens human. I would ask that you be “open to the possibility”
that Autism may require some “out of the box thinking”
using some non-traditional ways to work with those that have Autism. Was
it not less than 25 years ago that the cellular phone was science
fiction as seen on the television show “Star Trek” and now it is
science fact as common place as a cup of coffee? Don’t we owe
it to those with Autism, their loved ones and caregivers to try things
that may help them? Shouldn’t those with Autism have a chance at a
full, productive and happy life?
The exercises presented
in this articles are “in addition to and
not instead” of the modern day medical protocols used for Autism.
Eating right, exercise and taking vitamins are things we do in addition
to whatever “dis-ease” we may have to provide support to us. These
exercises are additional tools in the Autism “tool box” to help
caregivers better understand Autism and hoping to
achieve some serenity as well.
Modern man does not
always posses the answers to everything or in a manner that is readily
understood. Sometimes answers come from a place that we may not fully
understand but provide us with everything we need. It is my belief that
God would not provide us with problems without solutions. Is it
possible that love in conjunction to certain modern day protocols is the
answer for those that have Autism? Why not try it for a while? You have
nothing to loose and everything to gain. Love might just be the key to
unlock the mystery of Autism.
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Rev. Oreste J.
D’Aversa,
“Reverend Rusty” is an all faiths Minister (www.GodLovesYouAndMe.org),
ordained by The New Seminary in New York City. He the author of the book
Empowering Your Children in the New Millennium: Practical Tools for
Children, Parents and Teachers and The Seven Simple Principles of
Prosperity: Practical Exercises to Achieve a Rich, Happy and Joyous
Life!, Keynote Speaker, Seminar Leader, Consultant and Life Balance
Coach (www.OresteDaversa.com). He is also the founder of The
Institute of Practical Spirituality (www.PracticeSpirituality.com).
He can be reach at ReverendRusty@att.net, or at 201-310-4445.
Resources
Talk About
Curing Autism (TACA)
www.TalkAboutCuringAutism.org
Autism Speaks
www.AutismSpeaks.org
Autism
Collaboration
www.Autism.org
National Autism
Association
www.NationalAutismAssociation.org
Autism Society
of America
www.Autism-Society.org
Autism Ontario
www.AutismOntario.com
www.TogetherForAutism.ca
The Mayo Clinic
www.MayoClinic.com/Health/Autism/DS00348
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