Written by and originally published at Alphabet Soup Speech Consultants, LLC
A child spinning and smiling and laughing.
Perhaps flapping and hugging and dancing.
All of those things or none at all.
Perhaps more than those or less.
This is Autism.
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Monday, November 18, 2013
This is Autism (Sandy Krause)
Written by Sandy Krause, Positive Proclamations
Autism is called a spectrum because every person ‘on the spectrum’ is a unique individual. But aren’t we all? I have two kids on the spectrum. My son, 16 is a tall gentle soul. I’ll call him the blue soul. He is very intelligent and loves to research points of interest. More quiet, reserved but aware of the feelings around him. When visiting my mother in a memory care unit daily he formed a bond with a male resident there. The 92 year old man would get upset saying he couldn’t find him mother. My son would tell him it was OK, put his arm around him, the man would lean into my son and calm down. The staff said my son’s connection to him was stronger than anyone else they’d seen.
If a child cries my son is right there offering comfort. If someone is struggling on the stairs he lends an arm. He’s sensitive to others this way. When we’re out in public he says ‘hi’ to everyone, including the homeless woman on the corner, the scary looking dude at the bus stop, the mom and child at the store who weren’t speaking English. When the kids on our dead end street were playing on the steep hill, against the rules a girl fell. She broke her arm, she couldn’t get up. The other kids ran off afraid of getting in trouble. My son went to her, helped her up and got her to her house. He rose above and did the right thing.
My son has been in scouting since Tiger Cub. He’s now working on his Eagle Scout project. He’s had this goal from the beginning. He takes the scout oath and law very seriously. My son has been raised to love and accept all others, no exceptions. When BSA was deciding on whether to allow gay members he was torn by this conflict of morals. He felt strongly about the rights of all to be part of scouting, something he so values. He was willing to chuck his lifetime goal if BSA had not include all. This commitment to others is so rare in our world. His ultimate goal, to cure Alzheimer’s so no one else loses their grandma. And with his creative, need to know passion he’ll be the one to figure this out.
My daughter is 11, she’s an orange soul. She has spark, creative fire. At this age the behavior of most of the girls is odd to her. But didn’t we all go through this in middle school? She creates. She draws as well as most professional artists. Her singing voice is phenomenal, yet she lacks the confidence to sing solo publicly. She hears a song once and can play it on her trombone, the piano or sing it dead on first try. Inside is a constant flow of new beauty to let flow to the outside world.
Her spark shows brightly when she sees someone being harmed. Animals, little kids, the weak and defenseless have her as their guardian. She offers love to any critter she can. Little ones cry and she’s playing peek a boo to get them smiling again. If a weaker being is harmed she rises to protect them, fiercely. Little Mama Bear. Two younger kids, one started teasing and she stepped in and defended the tormented. A classmate whose words were hard to understand, she looked out for him, bonded with him and became his translator.
Someday she wants to be an artist. She wants to make things that say something to help people when they’re sad. She will lift up lost souls with her works, I have no doubt.
This is autism, each child a unique, creative, loving gift who grow to become adults with great potential.
A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. Amelia Earhart
Hope and Perseverance
Written by Patrick Kelty, Forward by his mom Dena
"What follows is an essay my son wrote upon the 43rd anniversary of the loss of the Marshall University 1970 football team and boosters. Through a once in a lifetime opportunity, my son has found a supernatural connection to the phoenix-like renewal of Hope and Perseverance shared with the campus and the town. This is a young man diagnosed with classic autism, deemed uneducable, denied a meaningful educational opportunity until high school. But he learned despite them all and he graduated high school with a 3.1 gpa surrounded by his hockey team brothers.
Now he's independently introduced himself to the iconic Red Dawson portrayed by Matthew Fox and Reggie Oliver, the team's quarterback in the aftermath and he's 'family' to them.
He feels their pain, their renewal and their sorrow.
This tribute--this expression of feeling and connection and emotion.
Joy, opportunity, inclusion, belonging.
This is autism.
Hope and Perseverance
My name is Patrick Kelty and I am a sophomore at Marshall. I’m able to be here because I am part of the Marshall University College Program for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This week I was honored to lay a rose at the Memorial Fountain for the first time and I wanted to share what it meant to me. It was especially good to do so in the name of Coach Rick Tolley.
I am a person who learns a lot about the world by watching movies and when we started looking for a college for me, I watched the movie, “We Are Marshall”. As soon as I saw it, I knew Huntington was the right town for me. When I applied to MU, I wrote:
“I feel very connected to Marshall because of the many chances that Marshall almost lost just like I did. Marshall was able to grab hold of new chances and hold onto them without giving up. So was the town. They kept going. It’s because of all they’ve been through, like me, that I have decided to call it Home. “
So participating in the Memorial Service this week was a big honor for me. This was my second Memorial Service; last year I just watched but when I saw the rose ceremony, I knew I had to be a part of that. Bianca Hynes and Andy Burns from the College Program helped me. It just felt like the right thing to do, especially because of some of my most special friends that I’ve made here. From watching the movie, I recognized Coach Red Dawson. We have lunch together each week and we tailgate together and he’s come to my birthday party. When I see Coach at the ceremony I see how it still pains him but if he can be courageous and go on, I know I can continue to work hard to stay in school.
I’ve also met Reggie Oliver when I saw him at the ceremony, he embraced me, thanking me for being there and he told me he loves me. I think he can see that my heart feels what all survivors feel—what it’s like to have pain and work hard to overcome hardship. Keith Morehouse overcame by following in his father’s footsteps. All of these men are honorable and courageous and what I strive to be.
During the ceremony I feel like each of the 75 are standing before me, smiling. I feel them with me all the time and when I feel like giving up, it’s like they’re all right there, encouraging me.
The town may have experienced a great loss but they managed to overcome it. Some people think it’s sad, but I think about my life with autism and how hard learning is for me but I had to dig down deep and keep learning even when people didn’t believe in me. So I know that a lot of my feelings come from watching the movie where people had to also dig down deep, and I feel it living on the campus where the fountain mourns the lost. But it all gives me hope. I believe that if Marshall could do it, I can do it, too. I will succeed at Marshall so I can get a job working in a museum in Washington, D.C. With the strength of my friends, and the Autism Program to help, there’s nothing I can’t do.
a life overflowing with beauty
Contributed by Faith
Emmett...just three...mischievous, funny, exuberant, problem solver extraordinaire, sometimes anxious, happy, sad, quiet, calm, expressive without words, bouncy, unique and beyond precious; a son, grandson, cousin, nephew, little brother, a friend, a life overflowing with beauty...this is Autism!
Emmett...just three...mischievous, funny, exuberant, problem solver extraordinaire, sometimes anxious, happy, sad, quiet, calm, expressive without words, bouncy, unique and beyond precious; a son, grandson, cousin, nephew, little brother, a friend, a life overflowing with beauty...this is Autism!
This is autism (Pattie McCarthy)
Written by Pattie McCarthy
This is autism.
Colin Meloy (of the Decembrists) said the following about his son, Hank, who is on the autism spectrum : "I think he is deeply, deeply weird, but we are into weirdness, are open to it, and find it charming & smart" (http://www.
This wonderful interview with Meloy at The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism was not the first thing I ever read about parenting & autism. If only. The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism was not the first website or organization I found when I started researching the autism spectrum. If only.
One of my three children has Asperger's. Can you tell which one?
One of them still sucks their thumb & sleeps with a blankie.
One of them flaps their fingers.
One of them screams if a stranger touches them.
One of them plays lovely & atonal songs of their own invention on the piano.
One of them has a sweet singing voice.
One of them is not really into playing music— just wants to dance to it.
One of them acquired language in the usual way.
Two of them never spoke toddler caveman language (me hungry!),
but rather went from single words straight to totally strange & beautiful sentences
("orange fishes big water, I want to kiss him," etc.).
One of them is obsessed with tiny animals.
One of them is obsessed with trains.
One of them is obsessed with excavators.
One of them sleeps like a champ.
One of them wakes up at 5.00 am every day.
One of them still sleeps with me & my husband half the time.
None of them like to wear clothes that aren't made of natural fibers.
None of them really want to look you in the eye.
All of them over-empathize.
All of them are hyperverbal, according to their pediatrician.
I don't mean to suggest that my autistic kid doesn't have very real challenges. But my Aspie has some things easier than my NT children— is friendlier to strangers/adults, is an extrovert, is really motivated to be a good student, is ambidextrous, is a strong reader, etc.
I do not recognize my child in the language of Autism Speaks.
"Autism is a method of energy," writes Emma, at Emma's Hope Book (http://emmashopebook.com/
My child with Asperger's is an odd duck. We like odd ducks.
When I started researching Asperger's, I noticed that many of the characteristics of ASD (particularly with regard to language) sounded like things we really value in literature & art. I started thinking my child was just super experimental, & that it was time to put my money where my mouth is & learn this new language, new energy, new way of looking. This is autism— this shit is avant garde.
This is my son whose innate joy is contagious
Contributed by Jennifer Gray
This is Mason. This is my son whose innate joy is contagious. He is a huge heart beating. He is love. This is the boy who has inspired our family to truly LIVE. This is Autism.
This is Mason. This is my son whose innate joy is contagious. He is a huge heart beating. He is love. This is the boy who has inspired our family to truly LIVE. This is Autism.
In My World
Written by Kimberly Roy, Centennial, Colorado
To people who do not know these beautiful people they often appear unreachable…lost in another world. As the mother of an amazing 12 year old diagnosed with autism I have been blessed with the opportunity to look into his world. The more he shows me, the more I know he is just another little boy. This is a poem I wrote when he was three in 2004.
In My World
When people see me from the outside,
I look lost, and they wonder where I am.
But they should come and see me in my world,
Where I laugh and giggle and play pretend...
In my world I am just a little boy, with boats,
And cars, and airplanes that fly around.
And I’m happy when my mommy tickles me,
And spins me upside down.
In my world there’s a baby to kiss, a doggie to touch,
And I love to ride on trains again, and again,
And my Papa drives me in his big white truck,
And my Mama takes me in the summer to go swim.
In my world I love to paint pictures,
And on my swing I feel like I can fly,
And my daddy takes me to his work to ride go-carts,
And teaches me how to be a good Jedi.
In my world I drink lots of chocolate milk,
And chicken nuggets make me smile.
And my daddy makes the best macaroni and cheese,
And gives me a cookie every once in a while.
In my world I have a waterfall in my bath,
And I can act out my favorite shows again and again.
And my sister can reach me like no one else can,
In my life she has been a godsend.
In my world I crawl into bed at night
Feeling happy, safe and truly loved.
As my mommy reads me a book,
Gives me a kiss, and one last good night hug.
And as I sleep deep inside my world I am content,
But I can feel your hand gently reaching for me.
Longing to share all the beauty in your world,
You’re praying I will one day see.
Autism is… (The Caffeinated Autistic)
Written by and originally published at The Caffeinated Autistic
Autism is needing a visual schedule even at age 30.
Autism is the joy of flapping your hands when something makes your heart sing.
Autism is needing to allot hours to performing basic skills.
Autism is objects ceasing to exist if you can’t see them.
Autism is reveling in the good textures - running your fingers over every bump, curve and rivet.
Autism is finding a pair of headphones that makes going out in public bearable.
Autism is holding a bachelor’s degree but working in a drive thru.
Autism is echolalia.
Autism is seeing details that others miss.
Autism is being able to recite pages and pages of text that you learned when you were sixteen but unable to remember something you read an hour ago.
Autism is the fantastic feeling of not needing a weighted blanket because your (also autistic) seven year old is more than willing to press herself on top of your chest.
Autism is explaining to a new friend every last detail of your latest obsession and being overcome with relief when they don’t call you a freak.
Autism is joy and it is struggle.
Autism is not a tragedy or a health crisis.
Autism is (by R. D.)
Written by R. D.
Autism is.... being rocked to sleep in a hammock in the woods with the soothing sounds of my son’s joyful noise.... our contentment… learning to listen with my eyes and not just my ears, he tells me what I need to know... my teacher… trying to control every moment of the day and upon the realization that it can't be done, falling into the arms of Jesus and inviting him to reign in my heart.... my salvation… learning how to let go, even to the point of sending your most vulnerable child to the mission field of an ICF... my son’s purpose… seeing the spirit of joy move across the faces of a crowd at the sight of my son’s smile, the kind with smiling eyes... my son’s gifts… watching people want to touch and love on my son as much as he wants to love and touch them… my joy… learning how to love with a pure heart fervently… learning what fearfully and wonderfully made really means… not heartbreaking but heartwarming, like the early spring sunshine… waiting for the first green of spring and the hope of fruit. This is Autism.
my salvation… learning how to let go, even to the point of sending your most vulnerable child to the mission field of an ICF... Dar’s purpose… seeing the spirit of joy move across the faces of a crowd at the sight of Dar's smile, the kind with smiling Irish (actually Japanese) eyes... Dar’s gifts… watching people want to touch and love on Dar as much as he wants to love and touch them… my joy… learning how to love with a pure heart fervently… learning what fearfully and wonderfully made really means… not heartbreaking but heartwarming, like the early spring sunshine… waiting for the first green of spring and the hope of fruit. This is Autism... my salvation… learning how to let go, even to the point of sending your most vulnerable child to the mission field of an ICF... Dar’s purpose… seeing the spirit of joy move across the faces of a crowd at the sight of Dar's smile, the kind with smiling Irish (actually Japanese) eyes... Dar’s gifts… watching people want to touch and love on Dar as much as he wants to love and touch them… my joy… learning how to love with a pure heart fervently… learning what fearfully and wonderfully made really means… not heartbreaking but heartwarming, like the early spring sunshine… waiting for the first green of spring and the hope of fruit. This is Autism.
This is Autism (Paleopix)
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