2008 Woodie Awards
One story of autism
Ashley Tate, Reporter
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Examining Autism
As a young boy, Sean Barron liked to open the lid of the washing machine, while it was operating, and watch it spin. He said he also used to stick his arm in there; it was almost "hypnotic."
If Barron got hurt from doing this, he didn't know it because he said he had a high tolerance level for pain, a result of being diagnosed with classic autism in 1965.
Barron said he has "healed" from autism and uses that word specifically because "I use that as a neutral term. Sometimes, I used the term 'recovered,' but a few people thought you can never recover from [autism] so I stopped using it."
When Barron was a child, he said autism wasn't thought of as a spectrum disorder like it is today.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) include autistic disorder, Asperger's syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).
Barron said he believes he has healed from the disorder because it doesn't adversely affect his life anymore.
In the 1960s, Barron said there weren't any intervention programs or therapies in place to help him deal with autism, but he had a very supportive family who "believed in me, worked with me."
Looking back on his childhood, Barron said he wanted to get rid of autism because it deprived him of having a normal childhood.
"I was bullied in school, didn't have any friends, [I was] isolated, an outcast, an aloof in a lot of ways. As a child, I was always reprimanded, especially by my mom. That was my perception back then and I didn't want to grow up and live my life like this," Barron said.
Besides having a high threshold for pain as a child, Barron said he had other sensory problems. He said he had hyperactive hearing, was easily distracted and had a limited diet.
Barron said his limited diet included pancakes and cereal, foods that had a uniformed texture.
"I didn't like certain textures in my mouth at the same time. Like a sandwich, I would take it apart and eat it."
If Barron got hurt from doing this, he didn't know it because he said he had a high tolerance level for pain, a result of being diagnosed with classic autism in 1965.
Barron said he has "healed" from autism and uses that word specifically because "I use that as a neutral term. Sometimes, I used the term 'recovered,' but a few people thought you can never recover from [autism] so I stopped using it."
When Barron was a child, he said autism wasn't thought of as a spectrum disorder like it is today.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) include autistic disorder, Asperger's syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).
Barron said he believes he has healed from the disorder because it doesn't adversely affect his life anymore.
In the 1960s, Barron said there weren't any intervention programs or therapies in place to help him deal with autism, but he had a very supportive family who "believed in me, worked with me."
Looking back on his childhood, Barron said he wanted to get rid of autism because it deprived him of having a normal childhood.
"I was bullied in school, didn't have any friends, [I was] isolated, an outcast, an aloof in a lot of ways. As a child, I was always reprimanded, especially by my mom. That was my perception back then and I didn't want to grow up and live my life like this," Barron said.
Besides having a high threshold for pain as a child, Barron said he had other sensory problems. He said he had hyperactive hearing, was easily distracted and had a limited diet.
Barron said his limited diet included pancakes and cereal, foods that had a uniformed texture.
"I didn't like certain textures in my mouth at the same time. Like a sandwich, I would take it apart and eat it."
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 39
Nabil
posted 5/02/08 @ 3:36 AM EST
Thank you for this article. However, there is no mention of what Barron thinks healed him. Just that several years later, he was healed?? From one of the most mystifying disorders of our time? Why is there zero discussion about what Barron thinks helped him to heal? I am a parent with ASD and am super-interested in answers rather than claims made by assertion alone. (Continued…)
George Miklas
posted 5/18/08 @ 12:11 AM EST
I too am interested in what Barron believes "healed" him. I am an emotional support teacher. 2/3 of my students have ASDs and they are all at different cognitive levels and display varying degrees of ASD symptoms. (Continued…)
Losing Weight
posted 7/03/08 @ 12:54 AM EST
I also was wondering what healed him. As far as what was said about the brain, maybe he thinks that it was just time that healed him.
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