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Thursday, October 1, 2009
A 14-year-old Regina native, now living in Ontario, is earning recognition for his efforts in dispelling myths about autism, a general term for neurological disorders that can impair development.
Lewis Schofield is a Grade 9 student in Peterborough, where Trent University is honouring him with a Community Leader Award for Youth.
Schofield is often online, using blogs, artwork, videos and podcasts, providing information about his health issues including Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. He also participates in a Family Autism Forum on Yahoo.
“I was just doing what I always do,” Schofield said in an interview with CBC News. “I always do my best. It’s just how I was raised.”
“He was very surprised and very shocked that he had been nominated, never mind had actually won this honour,” Elyse Bruce, Schofield’s mother, told CBC news.
She said her son’s interest in technology led to him sharing his experiences, helping to educate people about the realities of autism.
“I just want them to know the facts instead of all this gibberish,” Schofield added.
In addition to living with Asperger’s Syndrome, Schofield was recently diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, a life threatening neuromuscular disorder, for which there is no cure. MG, as it is known, is a rare and complex form of muscular dystrophy.
“I want to give other people hope through knowledge,” Schofield said about his efforts to educate people.
Schofield will be honoured by Trent at a ceremony on campus on Oct. 26.
Source: Â http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2009/10/01/sk-schofield-autism-youth-leadership.html