Response 2

The writer sounds a clarion call, imploring readers to “Stop making Excuses”. I find that reading this article has been an enjoyable and beneficial experience for me. For example, I’ve come to know more about Autism, understand its ramifications, and empathize with the parents and children. However, since my sparse knowledge of Autism is derived from the article itself, it seems inappropriate to discuss the issue of Autism here.

I would like to assert that the contents of this article can be appropriated and superimposed upon a wider context; that of Life.

We grow and progress the most through challenges. The main premise is that in order to surmount a challenge, we have to better ourselves. This is because for it to be challenging, any challenge will have to best our original selves. This revelation helps me to better understand why I should willingly ‘step out of my comfort zone’. It is an opportunity for me to grow and advance, not stagnate on the spot.

The oft-repeated ‘your-attitude-changes-your-life’ spiel presents itself here. I appreciate this timely reminder about how only we can choose whether to see the glass as half-empty or half-full. The power of choice, especially in a no-choice situation can work wonders. For example, when we have no choice but to do the Maths Project, we can either choose to be positive about it and try to complete it as soon as possible; or choose to sit in the corner, complain and sulk and end up doing last-minute slipshod work. Our attitude determines how we think in turn, it affects our actions.

“Autism is so complex that only professionals can help my child”. This is definitely not true, living a life is not rocket science, but it is not ABC too. We’ll need professional help time to time, to improve our lives, such as professional counseling, motivational speakers. Everyone is a professional, but the professional most qualified to help you live your life, is yourself! In life, we encounter loads of people, but the truth is, the one we encounter the most is ourselves. This quote puts it nicely: “Professionals should be there to support you on your journey(Life), not replace you.”

“If it works for so-and-so’s son, how come it is not working for mine”. This sad truth also manifests itself in life. As the saying goes, “One man’s meat is another man’s poison”. Having an antecedent doesn’t necessarily mean that future cases will turn out exactly the same way. Hence, we should always keep this in mind and not blindly followed the ‘tried-and-tested’ formulas for they had tested only the past, not the unknown future.

I realize that my writing is not at all smooth and coherent. I’ve tried my best to tackle some of the more salient points of the article. It was quite an uphill task for me, mainly because of my relative ignorance of Life, given my short 15 years of existence. However, I’m glad that I’ve tried and learnt from this experience.