16-Year-Old Boy With Autism Says Life is 'Hell' & 'Lonely' in Apple's Autism Acceptance Month Movie [Watch Video]
Many people cannot imagine being unable to express thoughts and feelings every single day, but for teenager Dillan Barmache, this has been his reality since birth.
To commemorate Autism Acceptance Month, Apple released two brief but moving videos on the non-verbal autistic teenager showing some of his struggles with autism and finding out how to deal with it through new technology.
The Struggles of Autism
Dillan's therapist and communication partner Deborah Spengler described him as "the most challenged" kid in their first encounter. Indeed, a child who cannot speak or communicate is one who will understandably struggle day to day.
"Having autism is like being in hell and it is a lonely existence," the 16-year-old shared in the three-minute video entitled "Dillan's Path."
"If you're just going off of what you see on the outside the assumption is often that there's a lack of intelligence," his mother Tami Barmache explained. "Not being able to speak is not the same as not having something to say."
In the other video called "Dillan's Voice," he spent much of his life wanting to connect with people, but being unable to.
Finding a Way With Technology
Through technology, Dillan's life was transformed and he was given a way to express what he has to say to his family and friends. Now, he types out what he wants to say on his iPad, which is then translated into words through software. Spengler revealed that the teenager called his first experience of typing as "being freed."
It's a privilege many of the world take for granted, but the ability to communicate opened up a whole new world for Dillan.
"At school, I now can have a conversation," he said in an email interview with Mashable. "I can share [answers to questions] with my classmates to amaze them that this totally awkward and sometimes strange guy is as smart as they are."
He added, "The iPad allows me to be seen."
The opportunities have truly opened for Dillan. The teenager first made headlines back in 2014, when he delivered a thoughtful commencement speech in front of his fellow graduates at the Hale Charter Academy in Woodland Hills, California.
In his message, he said, "Always look inside other peoples experience in order to gain another perspective outside of books. Only then are we able to start opening our eyes to the amazing things around us."
The crowd gave him a standing ovation.
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