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[conuly]

Linky about an autistic girl

Question!

Being able to bowl will be another step for Charlie. Because of the autism, her hearing is extremely sensitive — sudden or loud noises can be too much to take, Terri Welsch said.

She recalled sitting in the car with Charlie at the Special Olympics regional soccer competition this spring. The soccer fields were close to the track, where the starter pistol’s bang was more than Charlie’s ears could handle.

Determined to desensitize herself to the noise, Charlie sat in the car, rolling the windows down bit by bit. Despite her best efforts, Charlie couldn’t play that day.

This is the Special Olympics, right? Couldn't they make some sort of accomodation, maybe, um, not using a loud starter pistol? There MUST be another way to start a race!

Seriously, do they actually mean this has never come up before? Or that they were unwilling/unable to change things slightly? We're not talking about a huge change here. It's really the equivilant of signing AND speaking. I don't know. It just seems basic to me.

Comments

[deceptica]

According to the article she only plays soccer and basketball, so I doubt she's going to participate in a race all of a sudden. And just because she failed to desensitize herself once that doesn't mean she won't want to try again.

[conuly]

I got the impression that she's a runner as well. And there's no reason for her decision to desensitize herself to trump her decision to run.