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As parents, we love our children so much, that it is often difficult to keep healthy boundaries, when our child experiences the inevitable hurt they will experience in their interactions with other kids. We desperately want to protect them, and give them the coping skills they will need to successfully navigate their social experiences.
Imagine how much tougher it is when parents have a child with autism. According to a research study that was cited by CNN, 46% of children with autism, report victimization or bullying while in middle and high school.
Sonny Giroux and his wife, are the loving parents of Benjamin, an autistic 10-year-old fifth grader with Asperger’s syndrome. Benjamin had a school assignment to write a poem titled “I Am”. According to “The Huffington Post”, when he showed his parents the poem which you will read below, they were overcome with different emotions.
Their feelings of pride over Benjamin’s ability to express himself with such depth and insight that is way beyond his years, was overshadowed by the grief they felt over his profound words depicting his isolation and loneliness.
The posting of this poem brought an overwhelmingly positive response from people so deeply touched by his words that so aptly describes the inner world of a child dealing with the sadness that comes with the social disabilities that accompany Asperger’s.
After you read Benjamin’s heart wrenching poem below, watch the video of a young man with Asperger’s describe his inability to pick up on other people’s body language and emotions, and the suffering it caused him throughout his childhood and the isolation and loneliness he still suffers today.
Benjamin’s touching poem:
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