Autism. The word isn’t quite uncommon in this day and age, due to the newfound weight placed on the topic. It is defined as, “a mental condition, present in early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people using language and abstract concepts.” While there is an “Autism Awareness Month” complete with a symbol of a tied ribbon with a ‘puzzle pieces’ print, hundreds of Facebook Organizations dedicated to the support of the many ‘1 out of 68’s in the United States, our National Education System seems to disregard that not every school-aged child will fall into the category of our current “social norm.” (Also known as young individuals who can speak fluently and communicate in an equitable fashion, and create relationships with others by finding common interests.) While this idealism of the ‘adequate’ school child is what countless Elementary, Middle, and High Schools strive to accommodate, children diagnosed with Autism in severe cases are left uneducated, unaided, while their hardworking, strained parents are left to blame for trying to enroll their children into school.

Currently, there are roughly 120 million individuals enrolled in a school, being taught, at this very moment. While that may be just a statistic, that means there are 120 million different stories to be told, and 120 million different learning methods being put into play. While many teachers and school systems may be willing to say they ‘accommodate each and every student’, they will close up as stiff as a book once a parent even tries to enroll their autistic child. However, the very few schools in San Diego county that offer teaching for children possessing mental disabilities, do not offer the adequate services to aid children who have autism in severe cases. To blatantly name a few, Speech and Occupational Therapy services are extremely scarce, due to the amount of children in the ‘special needs’ classrooms, one-on-one teaching is not a possibility, while it is essential for most children to succeed in a makeshift ‘normal’ learning environment. It is crucial for all autistic children alike to be in an area with little to no distractions, which makes the topic even more ironic, when schools will provide little to nothing for these kids. Ignorance and neglect towards this subject needs to be eradicated, in order for each and every different child into society to function to the best of their ability. I am not asking for a sudden miracle, though I am hoping and praying to the God of this universe, that humanity’s hearts will kneel down in support to continually improve school environments for the children who cannot make it better for themselves.