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A fourth-grade student with autism explained his condition to his entire class, and his words are incredibly profound.
Rumari is a member of Lisa Moe’s class in Chino Valley, California. He has autism. May is Autism Awareness month, and one day in class while the students were doing an awareness-raising activity, he spontaneously raised his hand and asked Ms. Moe if he could say something.
Ms. Moe agreed, so Rumari got up in front of the room, and he began to speak.
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“For a really long time, you guys had not known I had autism,” Rumari said. “So you guys thought I was weird doing this,” and he demonstrated the “stimming” behavior of hitting his hand as it rested against his face. He does it when he wants to feel better, he explained, and other kids might want to try it too.
Rumari also shared that it’s important to make kids with autism “feel like a somebody.” He pointed out that other kids may sometimes think he was weird because of how he talks or his stimming behavior, but they shouldn’t judge.
The entire class silently listened to Rumari as he shared. Meanwhile, Ms. Moe had begun filming once she realized that something “beautiful” was happening in her classroom.
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After Rumari was done, kids began raising their hands – but not to ask Rumari questions about autism. Instead, they began praising him. One asked if she could give Rumari a hug.
The moment meant so much to Ms. Moe that she posted the video onto Instagram, with Rumari’s parents’ permission. That video has now gone viral.
“If I were unable to ever teach again or if there was ever a question to my path into this role as an educator, this moment solidified my purpose,” Ms. Moe wrote.
