UN's Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities

General Principles
Of the UN Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities

(a) Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including the
freedom to make one’s own choices, and independence of persons;
(b) Non-discrimination;
(c) Full and effective participation and inclusion in society;
(d) Respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities
as part of human diversity and humanity;
(e) Equality of opportunity;
(f) Accessibility;
(g) Equality between men and women;
(h) Respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities
and respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve their identities.

All About Justin (At 5 ½ Years)

Justin Chronicles at 5
(A Report to Our Behavioral Therapist)

When he wakes up in the morning, he turns off the electric fan if he wants to and on his own.
He can already drink milk on his own or using a straw and he gives me back the glass when he’s finished. Or he returns the glass at the kitchen sink on his own.
He can already plug-in the television and turn it on and he can already choose his favorite shows. When he wakes up he watches cartoons and now he watches any channel, before, he would only stick to one channel and would react if anyone changes the channel.
He can already urinate on his own and flush the toilet on his own. Even when he uses the toilet, he goes on his own, though I have to wash him after.
He can already wash himself with soap. But we still have to bathe him because he keeps on jumping while taking a both and I’m worried that he might slip. We still change his clothes, if not, he takes time changing his clothes because he does so while watching T.V.

Justin

Justin

He's 7 years old now. We learned about his condition about 3 years ago. We noticed things were not usual with his growth. He's speech was delayed and his younger sibling started talking when he was still not articulate. Eventually, our third baby arrived and she eventually got bigger and started to talk, its seemed for a time, they practically had the same level of talking ability.

When Justin was two, he had an accident he fell from the bed and had to be rushed to the hospital because of some sort of seizure. His head seemed bigger than the regular head size for his age and at that time, he had a CT scan to check if the damage to his head was permanent. The neurologist upon viewing the CT scan image told us that he had fluids in his head and the fluid had to be drained through a special contraption that the hospital people used. He eventually got better, and guess what, when we were about to be dischrged from the hospital, he fell again from the hospital bed!

Well a year or two after, we noticed many different things about Justin. He couldn't speak as well as his younger brother and it seemed that he showed signs of Autism at age 4. So we went to the Philippine Children's Medical Center to see a child development specialist and the doctor told us that he showed many of the signs of a child with autism (CWA). We were in denial, he pitied him so much and maybe pitied ourselves as well. Masakit was our initial reaction. We didn't know what to do, we were regular parents not knowing anything about special needs of our special child!

About two years after, we discovered a retired Filipina behavioral therapist, Teacher Levy (God Bless Her!) whose married to an American. She patiently helped Justin and ourselves through the journey with our autistic son. We so wanted to make a difference that after sessions with Teacher Levy, we as parents were determined to get Justin through his life and by God's grace allow him to be able to mainstream. Sa awa ng Diyos, we we're able to have him assessed by the PCSO's Child Neurodevelopment Center and have him go to a special school, the best one I know.

Now Justin goes to school one hour every day at the SPED Center in Batino, Quezon City. It's good to have parents and other regular children interact with special kids. The SPED Center is like a haven for embattled parents like us, who have to contend with the world's indifference and ignorance on what autism is all about. We published this blog in the hope that other parents and people could understand what autism is and how through understanding, therapy and a change in lifestyles can save CWA's in our midst and save families as well. With the help of Teacher Maricelle Barlis, Justin each day inches his way into hopefully mainstream society soon.

God has taught us to see ourselves through Justin's eyes. Of how wonderful children are, be them regular or special. In our lifetime more CWA's and parents of special kids will come our way, we pray we will be able to make this world a better place for them. That maybe people will realize that seeing through the eyes of special children and special people is seeing through God's own eyes.