Wellness
Parents Create Sensory Rooms For Children With Autism
They turned the diagnosis into something positive - not only for their child, but hundreds more.
Cedric Jackson
06.16.18

Society is becoming increasingly aware of autism every day.

However, that didn’t make it any less of a shock when Julian Maha and Michele Kong found out that their child was autistic. Their son, Abram, seemed like any other child when he was first born. He was happy, easygoing, and easy to deal with. But then, right around his second birthday, everything started to change.

Roy S. Johnson
Source:
Roy S. Johnson

They noticed that his behavior was changing dramatically.

He stopped talking as much as he did before, started throwing fits, and started to have trouble sleeping. Often, he would cry and cry throughout the night, and there was nothing that his parents could do to console him.

Since Julian and Michele are both physicians, they figured that they could find out what was wrong right away. But when the behavior continued, they decided that they had to take Abram in to see a specialist. Right in the middle of the examination, the doctor delivered the startling news that Abram was, in fact, autistic.

Julian Maha
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Julian Maha

Of course, this came as a shock to Abram’s parents.

They were told that Abram might never be capable of normal speech and that he would likely struggle in social situations throughout his whole life. In a TED Talk Julian gave, he said:

“It was as if someone had dropped a bomb in our lives, and we were just standing there holding the pieces.”

Roy S. Johnson
Source:
Roy S. Johnson

Almost at once, Abram’s parents realized that families with autistic children can often feel isolated from the rest of society.

After all, many people have negative assumptions about those with autism. They think that they are unintelligent or that they don’t have feelings like normal people. That, of course, is untrue, but the stigma can prevent these families and individuals from seeking out the sense of community they want and need.

But Julian and Michele realized that they could help change society’s perceptions about people with autism, and they set out to do just that.

So, they formed the nonprofit KultureCity. It is an all-volunteer organization that seeks to facilitate acceptance of people with autism and works to make public spaces more inclusive for those with autism. In that way, they are hoping to expose the rest of the world to autism more so that it becomes a more normal and accepted part of society.

Roy S. Johnson
Source:
Roy S. Johnson

One project that KultureCity has taken on is making public venues and other spaces more inclusive for people with autism.

In fact, they recently created a “sensory room” at an NBA stadium. There, people with autism can enjoy the fun of the game and still have a place to go to get away from the loud noises and crowds, which can be difficult for people with autism to handle. The organization seeks to create these inclusive spaces in even more public places, so autistic people can feel welcome and have more visibility.

Julian Maha
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Julian Maha

Julian and Michele are using other methods to ensure that public places are more inclusive for autistic people, including grab bags with tools that can help those with sensory difficulties. These tools may include noise-canceling headphones and weighted lap pads, which help people with autism feel more grounded and less anxious.

Julian Maha
Source:
Julian Maha

While Abram’s family were shocked to find out that their son had autism, they have done everything possible to make the world a better and more inclusive place for their son and others like him.

Through their hard work and dedication, we can all be more mindful of people on the autism spectrum and support organizations like KultureCity that seek to make life better for them.

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