Potential Personified: Carly Fleischmann

A friend this morning sent me a link to a teenager's website, Carly's Voice. I was blown away.

I watched the posted videos and then I wandered over to her facebook page, Carly Fleishman. This is her story.

Everyone should watch, hear, and read what Carly Fleischman has to say.

It's about potential locked inside. Deep inside.

Amazing, rich potential.

My daughter was nonverbal until she was 4 1/2 years old. I could tell she had a lot to say. I could see it in her eyes and through her behavior. She was easily frustrated. Her behavior was an expression of her voice. We had to teach her how to express herself in appropriate ways.

She talks now but still needs extra support to help her with language and also the sensory input that affects her daily. Visual schedules, a time-timer, headphones, fidgits all block out distractions to help her focus.

Carly gives tremendous insight into the life of a teenager with Autism. She shares a rare perspective that is often never heard.

Carly's father's strength and persistence reminds me of Kate Adams Keller, Helen's Keller's mother, who in the 1880's had to make a decision to keep Helen home or send her to an institution. In the movie, The Miracle Worker, Mrs. Keller noted she could see there was something there inside of Helen's eyes. She kept her home and found a private tutor, Anne Sullivan, to teach her how to communicate.

Like Carly's father I can't imagine my child anywhere but home. I feel very grateful that we are figuring it out. --Allyson



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