To the Editor:

Special-needs kids aren’t different. They may seem different, but they’re not.

Special-needs kids can do many things. Just like us. They like to play games, go outside, and be with their friends and family.

They just have something that holds them back. Some kids don’t know how to express themselves. Some are just really shy. Others just don’t have the social skills that we have.

Kids with autism are very smart.  They promote the idea of “neural diversity.”  Autism isn’t a disease that can be cured, but just a different brain wiring.  Some autistic behaviors are rocking and flapping your arms.  Autism is not a sickness. It is just something that you have, that you are born with.

I work with a boy in seventh grade who has autism.  He is very smart and loving. It means so much to him when you do something for him.  He knows what he wants and likes.

He is like any other seventh-grade kid, but he just has a different brain wiring. If you want to help, like me, then join the Best Buddies Club at Farnsworth Middle School. It is a club in which you get to do activities and help children with special needs.

Do you still think they’re different?

Special education is for gifted students; they are in this program so they can reach their fullest potential.  Special education is for kids who have learning disabilities or emotional and behavioral disorders.  Students with special-education labels need to see examples like themselves, people who have overcome difficulties to achieve success.  Students with autism score 30 to 70 percentile points higher on highly figural IQ tests.

We don’t say that people with a different skin color have a “pigmentation disability.” So we shouldn’t say the kids with special needs are different.  Just because they have different ways of paying attention or learning doesn’t mean they aren’t just like you and me. We should honor and celebrate their differences.

Allie Moser

Farnsworth Middle School

Guilderland