Hello fellow spellers and those who are by our sides, either literally or figuratively. My name is Aaron Jepson, and I’m honored to have been asked to be a guest writer for an I-ASC blog. Some of you may know me by my novel, I Never Get Lost in the Woods. The story is about a person with autism and limited speaking skills who teaches herself how to spell when her ability to communicate becomes the difference between life and death.
When I first thought about trying to write a novel, it seemed like an unachievable goal. Like many of you, I spell one letter at a time, not with a letter board but on an iPad. So just the time it would take to type out three -hundred-plus pages of a novel was a big commitment. On top of that, I realized that I would need to come up with an interesting story, create believable characters, and tell it in a way that would keep people reading. I was not at all confident that I could do it.
But my parents have encouraged me to not let my disability define my limits, and what better way to challenge the assumptions about nonspeaking autism than to use words to do it.
Plus, I wanted to write a work of fiction to prove wrong the “experts” who say that autistics cannot see the world from different points of view and are purely concrete thinkers. And as a further dig at how characters with autism are typically portrayed, I made the hero of the story with autism save the day—not in an accidental, passive sort of way but in an I-am-smart-and-capable, -even-powerful sort of way.
And guess what? I did it! I achieved the unachievable and am super happy with how it turned out. What lessons did I learn in the process?
Well, I am reminded that just because we have limited language, we do not have limited intelligence.
I am reminded that people want to hear from us and will value our perspectives.
I am reminded that we have people in our camp that will do what it takes to help us accomplish our goals.
I am reminded that there are a lot of people who are facing similar challenges as myself and are doing amazing things as they emerge from their silent cells.
I am reminded that we can be the action heroes and the ones to save the day.
I am so happy when I hear about the rest of you non-speakers who are climbing your own mountains and demonstrating your amazing capacities. I’m honored to be
with you on this often difficult but sometimes rewarding journey. Let’s make the rewards the rule, not the exception.
About the Author
I am 24 years old at the time I am writing this. I was formally diagnosed with autism at age 3. My parents tell me that I started regressing and showing signs of it during my third year of life. I do have some verbal language but nothing very conversational. I can express basic things. I have a lot of phrases that I repeat (echolalia) to help me relieve anxiety. I have some repetitive behavior patterns, but not as many as I used to. I do like to pace, and I have a need to skip through my house to release energy. If any of you were to meet me in person, you would not doubt for a second that my diagnosis is accurate.
Life was challenging for me because I knew that I was different, and I could see how other kids were progressing in a natural way without the kind of effort that I was putting in. I was intensely jealous of that. It got much worse as I got older and reached its peak during my teenage years. I was very unhappy and felt despair about my future. But, thanks to my Father in Heaven and the persistence of my parents, I found a way to communicate my true self, and that saved me.
Communication is a critical part of being human or at least feeling like one. So, I am determined to continue improving in that area. It has given me confidence to succeed in other areas of life, too. I love setting hard goals and working to achieve them.
2 Responses
I am always so inspired and in awe of all you contributors, new authors, new spellers, researchers and assisting researchers. Keep going, keep doing what you do until everyone understands.
I so wish I had heard about and trained in this field when I was younger but always tell people what an amazing job you are all doing and point them in your direction.
Very inspiring. I have daugtetvwith limited language and I am using letter board to communicate.Keeping high hopes that she will also communicate and will able to express her thoughts.
Thanks