by Susan Palmes-Dennis
My granddaughter Arianne Jaden Baisas will perform in her fourth piano recital at the Centrio Ayala Mall Event Center at 3 pm Philippine time this Friday, June 7 in front of what I expect and pray to be a very appreciative audience.
Arianne, who is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, had made substantial progress two years after she heard piano music wafting through that same mall and told her mother, my daughter Janice Baisas, that she wanted to play the piano.
On hearing someone play the piano, Arianne wasted no time following the tune with mother in tow.
She was headed to the stage when she was restrained from doing so and it took some time and effort from her mother and some sympathetic people to pacify her amid the glances of those who were distracted by her meltdown.
That was two summers ago and much has changed since then. At the time this article gets published online, she would be walking up the stage for her recital, that same stage she was prevented from setting foot on. \
Arianne will play among several tunes “Down In the Valley”, “Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin” and the theme from the opera “Raymund the Overture.” Arianne is part of the Clazzitals 2019 Summer Recitals where she is a student.
I am overwhelmed with emotion after she invited me and Ronnie to attend her big event, my first time to personally attend her recital.
To be honest I am super excited for Arianne; my eyes well up with tears as I write this, to see up close my 10-year-old granddaughter performing to her potential despite her condition.
For those who don’t know Autism Spectrum Disorder is a condition of variable severity in which the afflicted person has difficulty in social interaction and communication and displays restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior.
She is gifted and she studies in one of the best private schools in Cagayan de Oro City, a school known for academic excellence and character building.
I know Arianne is accepted and loved by her teachers and classmates because they understand her condition. She is accepted not because of her condition but what she is capable of achieving.
She talks in English and finds it hard to communicate in either Bisaya or Tagalog though her Papa Ed is a native Manileno.
She loved the 2019 version of the movie Aladdin as well as fried chicken and drive thru meals at McDonalds. Arianne also loves to draw and loves her toys.
She was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when she was three years old and she was given immediate medical intervention. To this day I pray to our Almighty God that her condition improves over time.
Years ago, it was so hard coping with her condition especially when she is sick because she could not communicate well yet. Her parents struggled in asking her where she hurt. The Lord answered our prayers and she can communicate to us in English.
A little throwback; when Arianne was nearing four years old, we were worried that she may never be able to talk.
One day, my brother Simeon J.R. “Toto” talked to Arianne when she came near him while he fixed some pipes at home. He didn’t expect her to answer and was startled enough to nearly hit his toe with a screwdriver when he heard Arianne asking “What’s this?”
He told us he was sure Arianne spoke because they were the only two people in the room.
Arianne’s memory of that piano recital two years ago convinced her parents to enroll her in Clazzitals a week after the incident. She goes to practice twice a week and practices on the Yamaha piano at home whenever the mood hits her.
Arianne shares her father Ed’s passion for playing the piano.
More tales about Arianne: Her favorite line is “I want mama happy.” Maybe in her innocence she wants to see her Mama smile a lot. She is a sweetheart to everyone especially her cousins Kuya Sam, Ate Tating and Jacob.
Arianne is always shielded with our love and attention and now that she is 10 years old she is taught what life could be outside home and school and she is a fast learner.
She adapts immediately and we teach her life skills daily so she can become independent. If I may ask, where are we now as a society in dealing with people like Arianne?
I salute Mayor Oscar Moreno, the City Social Welfare Office and the local Department of Education (DepEd) for directly addressing the problem.
Years ago, I would invite the group of Mrs. Bobo Abellanosa and Mrs. Layug with the special education teacher at City Central and discuss these issues and matters on autism to create public awareness.
I never thought I would be dealing with this later in life. But I think much work remains to level up public awareness and education on caring for children with autism.
I remembered the time when I was with Arianne at a mall and she kept making noise about something she wanted, repeating it enough that she caused a scene and attracted a lot of people’s attention. In the US there are people trained to handle children with special needs.
The funny thing though is that her English advantage is sometimes our disadvantage.
I tell you this, while we were at Cogon market to buy fruits and vegetables the vendors would raise the prices every time they hear Arianne speak in English. They assume of course that we were loaded with dollars.
Still today, Friday afternoon, Arianne gets her chance to showcase her talent and appreciation of music to an audience. I have a gut feel that she can do it and this is only the beginning.
Whatever happens, Arianne is my granddaughter and nothing changes that. (For questions and comments, email me at susanap.dennus@yahoo.com)
