Posts from ‘Autism’
A Normal Person
Sometimes, as a mom blogger, I get the feeling that my kids somehow tap into the wavelength of a post I’ve written – before I even post it. And then they come to me and totally disprove whatever I’ve written about them.
For instance, the night that I wrote “Polite Conversation,” about Nigel using lengthy delayed echolalia at the dinner table one evening, he came into my office – minutes before I posted it – and began what was undoubtedly the most incredible conversation I’ve ever had with him. I honestly didn’t realize that he was capable of a serious back-and-forth discussion regarding intangible ideas for over half an hour. And he revealed so much more about himself during the course of it.
He started off by running into my office, eyes wide. “Mom! Have you heard of something called ‘home births’? Because I think I want to have my children that way and I wanted to see what you thought of it.”
Definitely didn’t see that coming. “Yes, I’ve heard of them. But I think that you should talk to your wife about it first. And I don’t think you need to worry about that for a long time.” Continue Reading
I think one of the biggest misconceptions about autism is the thought that children with autism can’t or won’t relate to those around them. Some believe those with autism have an inability to form lasting social connections. But one connection may be all that’s necessary to propel a child into a socially connected world.
I recently went to hear a lecture by Temple Grandin. Her story of growing up in a world of autism fascinates me. She talked of her struggles trying to navigate a social world that she didn’t feel comfortable in. She talked of her difficulties forming connections with her peers in school — until she expanded her world. She found a place where she connected with others — naturally and without pretense. She talked of how she now has people she considers friends because they share a connection. In her case, a connection through working with livestock. She currently is a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. She designed over half of the livestock handling facilities in the United States. She is a best-selling author. She has autism. Her success may have never happened had she not found a lasting connection… a shared interest, with others.
“I get social interaction through shared interests with things at work…Now that’s really interesting to me, social chit chat is not.” ~Temple Grandin
I’ve worked with children with Autism for 19 years. It’s hard and tedious and time-consuming and emotional and tiring — it’s tiring. It’s also funny and rewarding and, well…funny. I think when you work with a child with autism, or any child with a special need, you need to be prepared to laugh. Laughter can be the only bridge that keeps you crossing the threshold back into your classroom day after day. Laughter keeps us sane.
I had a boy in my class once. He had autism — high-functioning autism. He was four years old and had never been away from his mother until this point. He was adorable — blond haired, blue-eyed, big bright smile…and a cry that would send every nerve in my body screaming to jump from their connections and run far far away. His screams were always, always accompanied with drool — lots of drool. This was how I saw him for at least the first six months he was in my class…screaming and drooling. Somehow during that time we were able to figure out that he was quite brilliant — he was reading on a second grade level already and could do simple math equations and could write many site words. His academics, as so often is the case with children with high-functioning autism, were not the issue. The screaming, however, was.
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