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autism

Photo pulled from YouTube video

What kids with autism see.

Imagine everything you'd experience while strolling through a mall — the smells, the sights, the things to touch...

Now imagine all of those feelings and sensations times, like, a hundred.

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Health

Her refusal to be silent about her son’s autism led her to create a 'Hero Squad' for action

“Right then and there, I stopped crying, and my first experience with the ‘momma bear’ attitude kicked in.”

Photo by Leonard Donjuan, used with permission

Jen Coats and family at the Local Hearts Foundation 2nd Annual Baskets & Pancakes event.

Autism is a disorder that is surrounded by stigma. Some families feel an unnecessary sense of shame for having an autistic child. People living with autism may feel socially ostracized because they relate to people in a different way. Children with autism are often bullied and have a difficult time making friends in school.

The stigma can also prevent people from being diagnosed with the disorder and getting the therapy they need.

Jen Coats of Long Beach, California, is well aware of the stigma surrounding autism, and that inspired her to make the world more accepting of children with the disorder. When her first son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age two, she was pregnant with her second child and dealing with strong, challenging emotions. She cried when she heard the news, but her tears didn’t last long.

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Pop Culture

13-year-old autistic magician wows judges on 'Britain's Got Talent'

Simon Cowell remarked that “there's something really, really incredible” about the Irish teen.

Cillian O'Connor wows judges on "Britain's Got Talent."

Cillian O'Connor, a 13-year-old from County Meath, Ireland, wowed judges on “Britain’s Got Talent” on April 15 by making cards appear out of nowhere, making milk disappear and conjuring up a huge jar of jelly beans for Simon Cowell.

The appearance would have been incredible for any magician, let alone a teenager, but O’Connor’s was even more remarkable because he has autism spectrum disorder and dyspraxia.

Social anxiety is prevalent in people with autism, with reports showing it could be as high as 50%. Further, dyspraxia is a neurodevelopmental condition that makes it difficult for people to perform motor skills. Every magician needs two things: being comfortable in front of an audience and above-average fine motor skills. O’Connor believes that magic has helped him to develop both.

Before studying the art of magic, O’Connor says he didn’t want to be within “50 feet” of people. But all that changed after picking up his new skill.

“I have learned that having autism is not a disability, it’s an ability. When I was younger, I was unable to interact with people,” O’Connor said during his performance. “I felt a bit empty, incomplete. I felt invisible. After discovering magic, my life changed. It was like a light switch coming on inside my head."

“I found a way to interact with people through my magic,” he added.

During his routine, O'Connor took the audience on a journey. He discussed the transformative power of magic while transporting milk across the stage, helping Simon Cowell guess the exact number of jelly beans in a jar and pulling a 7 of diamonds out of nowhere.

And he did it all with amazing dexterity and confidence on stage.

After his performance, he received a standing ovation from the audience, and all four judges gave him “yesses” to move on to the next round.

Simon Cowell was particularly impressed—no easy feat.

“Wow, you are unbelievably talented. Seriously,” Cowell said, noting that the jelly bean trick freaked him out. “There is something really, really incredible about you, and I do believe in magic, and you are such an amazing performer. Brilliant, brilliant.”

Judge Bruno Tonioli held back tears when giving his appraisal.

“I was totally, totally captivated by what you were doing,” he exclaimed. “For somebody so young, it’s an incredible quality. You have a fantastic future in front of you.”

After the judges passed O’Connor, his mother rushed to the stage and hugged him.

“Six years ago our quiet, shy, anti-social, little boy saw a little girl, Issy Simpson, perform Magic on Britain's Got Talent. Cillian became obsessed with Magic, and he always dreamed of someday being just like that #youngmagician,” she wrote on Facebook.

“When I grow up, I want to be a magician,” O’Connor said before his routine. “What I like about magic is just trying to make people smile." Well, Cillian. There’s no need for you to wait to grow up to be a magician. After that performance, you have all the right in the world to start calling yourself one now.

Pop Culture

How Lilo from 'Lilo & Stitch' became a neurodivergent icon

Many viewers have dubbed the character as autistic, making her story even more relatable in the community.

Heroes do make others feel seen, after all.

When Disney’s quirky, irreverent and intergalactic animated film “Lilo & Stitch” premiered in 2002, it became a box office success (helping to bring Disney out of its notorious Dark Ages of the times), earned an Oscar nomination and brought the concept of “ohana” to the mainstream.

As is the way, Disney revealed earlier this year that it would be creating a live-action version of the film, and on April 2nd, announced that Maia Kealoha would be playing Lilo—one of the show’s titular characters and everyone’s favorite eccentric young Hawaiian girl who adopts an alien dog.

With Lilo coming back into the spotlight after a couple of decades, it feels apropos to explore how this loveable outsider became an unexpected hero to the neurodivergent community.
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