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Now- what may be the most remarkable coming- out of that we have ever seen...:
A little girl is unable to speak a word or connect to the world around her in any way...
or so everyone thought...
until she turned eleven and suddenly something remarkable happened...
ABC- this is John McKenzie- here is the story of a girl breaking out of her own body.
"You don't know what it feels like to be me,
when you can't sit still because your legs feel like they are on fire,
or it feels like a hundred ants are crawling up your arms."
"How was it these powerful words came out of this flailing body?
"People look at me and assume I am dump
because I can't talk."
Something extraordinary happened to this 14 years old
who was written off as mentally deficiant.
Something that may help unlock the mysteries of a baffeling disorder.
"What do I want?
I want to be like every other kid.
But I can't
Because I am Carly.
Born in Toronto/ Canada Carly Fleischmann was two years old when it became clear
she was not keeping up with her twin sister Taryn.
"When you are told your child is going to be developmently delayed
that they might achieve the developmental level of a six-year-old
-that has been a kick in the gut."
When Arthur Fleischmann and his wife Tammy learned the diagnosis autism
they expected the worst
that the twins were headed in different directions.
And how bad did it get for Carly-
those first few years ?
"Awful...
- part of her delays provented her from walking... from sitting up..."
It was clear that Carly- like most autistic children-
was lost in her own world-
perpetually swimming underwater
"And all the doctors would say: You are the parent- you should do as much
as you feel you need to do for this kid."
("Carly- stand up!") The Fleischmanns were on their own.
Experts told them that early intervention was critical. ("You use your fork!")
So ever since Carly was three her therapy has been intensived-
unrelenting.
"This took about 40 to 60 hours a week of one-to-one- therapy.
We always had about 3 to 4 therapists working for that.
And if you are not getting results with one approach you move on and try something else."
You didn't give up- you pushed Carly..
"When you look in Carly's eyes you can see a naked intelligence. So we never gave up-
we never gave up."
But if there was intelligence.... Carly's ceaseless rocking,
flailing arms and tantrums gave not any trace of it....
worse: she couldn't speak- not a word. "I get not have an expectation
that she would have a
fullword form of communication."
Dr. Nicole Walter-Allen- as a clinical psychologist-
who led Carly's therapy programm:
"Her profile was that of a child
who was severely autistic
and more than likely moderately mental retarded."
And did you ever think about institutionalizing her?
"We had friends saying: you know you have been plugging away
spending thousands of dollars on therapy-
without seeing the progress
So of course you started thinking about "should she be in a group home".."
But you decided against it.
"You could never do it..- could never do it.
You can't giving up your kid."
Despite thousands of hours of therapy
over months and years Carly's progress was excruciatingly slow.
That is until one day three years ago when Carly was eleven.
She went over a computer for the first time- and and what happened next was a breakthrough
so profound it would finally pierce Carly's silent secret world."And she was
great distressed and she starts to spell H-U-R-T... HURT...
And then a little bit later on she spells
H-E-L-...
...and we tried to push her for the finition..-P-...??
So she spells HELP
afterwards she has have got up- went behind the couch and she 's?xxthrough up.
Barbara Fenton-Nash is one of Carly's long time therapists.
So what does this tell you?
"It told us that
there was a lot more going on than we knew. And to us
there was a breakthrough moment- because we hadn't specifically taught her the words." "And
at first we didn't believe it.
Knowing this child for ten years and never seeing her write a thing...
of course you are gonna be sceptical..."
Everyone was - including her other therapists who were now desperate
to see proof.
But Carly refused to type. Exhibiting the same hysterical behavior
that led experts delabel her as mentally retarded."She would strip off her clothes,
she would go into the bathroom and she would engage the fecal smearing...So- the taping was great
- but no one could see it."
What was needed was some tough law:
if Carly wanted something
she would have to type for.
("First type and than you get...let's go!")
"All she had to work for it.
If she wanted information- if she wanted to go somewhere..she had to type...-by herself."
Finally- several months later-
Carly began to type for others.
"She certainly realized that by communicating
she had power over her environment."
And what came through her finger- typing one letter at the time with a fluency
no one could believe-
was astonishing.
"I am autistic,
but that is not who I am.
Take time to know me
before you judge me.
I am cute, funny
and like to have fun.
Through her ??torch/..taught..??? of words Carly began to unravel the mysteries
behind her often wild behavior- -like banging her head.....
"Because if I don't it feels like my body is going to explode.
It's just like when you shake a can of coke.
If I could stop it- I would, but it is not like turning a switch off.
I know what is right and wrong but it is like I have a fight with my brain over it."
("Use your words!") And Carly was not shy about expressing her desires
and frustrations.
"I want to be able to go to school with normal kids,
but not have them getting upset, or scared if I hit a table or scream.
I want something that will put off the fire."
"We were also horrofied
because for years we had spoken in front of her as if
she wasn't there." Now- for the first time-
Carly was able to have conversations with her parents.
Do you want to write to Dad?
"I want to go on a snowmobile- can we do it-
will you go on one?
I think it would be fun."
So here is your daughter
and finally you get to meet her...
What was that like?
Overwhelming?..Overwhelming!"
"I stopped looking at her as a disabled person
("You promised...")
and started looking at her as ?????????...?????
teenage girl."
I want people to know that no one is telling me what to say-
And I don't have a hand in my body like a puppet.
"Carly has been very clear that she sees herself as a normal child locked in a body that does things
that she has no control over."
Side by side with the twin sister Taryn it would be easy to dismiss Carly as
"intellectually challenged"
That is until you ask her a question.."Carly-
why do autistic kids
cover their ears,
flap their hands, humn
and rock?"
"It is a way for us to drown out all sensory input
that overloads us all at once.
We create output to block out input."
Carly's brain- and like most people's- is overwhelmed by the senses of
sight and sound, taste and smell.
"Our brains are wired differently.
We take in many sounds and conversations at once.
I take over thousands of pictures of a person's face when I look at them.
That's why we have a hard time looking at people."
The one thing she can't controll is when and where she will type.
("This is John.")
And usually she needs to be motivated.
("Finish up! You did it great.)
When I tried making conversation with Carly
she would not type back. (" I can tell you anything you want to know...")
Her finger hovered over the key for hours... - until I brought up my teenage son..
("He wants to play football .")
"Now she smiles- it's gonna be something funny.
xx
xx
x
"Is he cute?" "Yes- I guess he is cute."
"Now it is two years we have been communicating
-and every time she writes something
there's a little bit of that sense of xx? (all?aha?)
the room resembled a ship's cabin its wallet
"Dear Dad ! I love when you read to me. And I love that you believe in me.
I know I am not the easiest kid in the world... ("Give me a kiss")
However you are always there for me holding my hand and picking me up.I love you."
I would give many sleepless nights to hear that.
I would spend every penny we have
to hear that.
Is there one writing in particular
that left a lump in your throat ?
" In this writing where she says: "You have never been in my body. I wish for one day
you could be in my body."
A year after we first met Carly she is happier,
calmer, more independent.
She is even writing a novel.
"I think that human kind is just oblivious to things that have been around for many years."
She also has her own internet blog and twitters regulary-
answering questions from people all over North America.
"I think Carly knows that she now has a voice
that can help other kids
Now she looks at herself as someone who can make a mark on the world.
And that's got to be life-changing."
What do you hope for Carly now?
"I want her to be happy. I want her to have
dreams and goals and accomplish those goals
inspite of her challenges."
"I think the only thing I can say is : don't give up.
Your inner voice will find its way out.
Mine did."