For neurotypical people, navigating life is difficult enough. However, if you are on the autism spectrum, even things that the vast majority of us take for granted may be difficult for you.
Asperger syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that makes it difficult for people to interact properly with one another. It is frequently associated with repetitive behavioral habits and interests.
One in every 250 people is thought to have Asperger’s syndrome, and Benjamin Giroux is one of them.
Benjamin’s behaviors are typical for an autistic child. His communication skills may be limited, and he rarely expresses emotions.
Sonny, Benjamin’s father, told TODAY in an interview:
“When we ask him how his day was when he gets home from school, he only responds with one word.”
You might think Benjamin sounds like any other adolescent, but his few interactions with his parents are not the result of a lack of desire on his part. It’s due to the way Asperger’s syndrome affects his brain.
Benjamin’s parents were intrigued when he happily returned home from school one day.
His Cumberland Head Elementary School class had written poems about themselves to commemorate National Poetry Month.
The first two words of each line were given to the children, but they were free to write whatever they wanted.
Benjamin sat down and started writing because he felt like he could truly put his heart into it.
Benjamin didn’t get up from the kitchen table until he had completed his poetry, according to his parents. When he eventually stood up and showed his parents his work, they both started crying.
Below is a fragment from Benjamin’s poem “I Am Odd”:
“I am odd, I am new
I wonder if you are too
I hear voices in the air
I see you don’t, and that’s not fair
I want to not feel blue.”
Without a doubt, this poetry is brilliantly crafted and smoothly transitions from one stanza to the next. However, it wasn’t the poem’s format that moved Benjamin’s parents to tears; rather, it was the content.
Benjamin’s father stated that his and his wife were initially saddened by Benjamin’s loneliness.
With more thought, he realized that the poem covered more ground. He elaborated:
“The more we read the poem, the more we realized that Ben wants everyone to accept that everyone, like him, is odd in their own way.”
The next day, everyone in the class was eager to take turns reading their poetry aloud to the class. But when Benjamin awoke that morning, he was overcome with anxiety and decided to stay at home.
He had convinced himself that his poetry was not worthy of reading aloud, but his parents knew better.
Sonny decided to share Benjamin’s poetry on Facebook in the hopes that his friends and family would respond positively to his son.
However, when the post went viral, it confirmed what Sonny already suspected: Benjamin’s poetry was truly exceptional.
For the Giroux family, the most memorable part of the experience was when the National Autism Association posted the poem on their official Facebook page.
Other people responded, expressing their feelings and being moved to tears by Benjamin’s words.
The poem was so well-liked that Benjamin received several honors and that it was included in a child’s book. Well done! He deserves all the praise for writing something that is so well-written and that many people can relate to.
You can read the full poem in the photo below. Please share your thoughts about it in the comments section, and SHARE this post with your friends on Facebook.