Autism Is a World

10/1/2023

Sue Rubin is a twenty six year old autistic woman who cannot speak. She needs twenty-four hour care as her condition does not allow her to even dial 9-1-1 in case of an emergency. At the age of 13, Sue was diagnosed with a mental age of two years, and an IQ of 29. However, when this documentary was filmed, Sue was a junior at Whittier College majoring in history, with career plans to advocate for autistics, and newspaper writing. What changed for Sue at age 13? "Facilitated communication" did. With the steadying of her sometimes flailing limbs, Sue is able to use a keyboard with vocal capabilities in order for her "voice" to be heard. The keyboarding took a lot of practice, but a reassessment of her condition put her IQ at 133, which allowed her normal high school years and college. From h