Open Letter to Autistics/Parents

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X-Posted from another list. Always lovely to find those who share a positive view:

http://bigwhitehat.com/?p=277

Bravo!

i didn't know that tigers could get autism.

Why not, I swear my first-born (chocolate lab/Dalmation mix) is autistic and his parents shared his traits (especially his Dad).

Ahhhhhhhh an autistic tiger......... sounds dangerous!

PS I am the UOPHA, please feel free to PM me .

Magnificent letter, he says what I feel about Z. this man I would love to meet.

All felines are autistic. Autism is the natural mind maintaining its relationship with reality by seeing, hearing, touching, feeling, tasting and smelling it, instead of succumbing to illusions constructed by language/culture/beliefs.

LMAO

Tiger is her son, her HUMAN son. LOL

I liked the spirit of the letter. However, I'm not sure if autistics are really so wonderful; most parents say their children are wonderful anyway.

Indeed, I noticed the same thing. They even communicate like autistics (they avoid eye contact with their siblings and other friendly individuals, for example). In contrast, dogs are loud and hypersocial. Are dogs NT?

Wonderful!! I am going to send this link to my son.

What a great letter! It echos so much of how I feel. Thanks for posting the site.

You're welcome. Must dust off and re-introduce some older positive 'feel good' articles from times past when I have the chance. Can never have too many of those .

I posted this on a local ASD forum, I got brutalised, apparently the author and I don't understand what it is like to live with a faeces smearing child who will one day need to be institutionalized...

Oh well. I agree, the article probably does target mostly HFA and AS children on the spectrum...

One lady did send me a great story though about her child. (LFA) apparently when he was 7, she had him join a beaver coloney. She had to do one on one support, but her son seemed to enjoy it. Oneday they went to a waterpark with the group, and he watched people going down a water slide, and decided to go, pulling his mom (mostly non verbal) to the slide. She got really excited because he wanted to do something! So, they go up, they go down together, he goes under the water and freaks out! The mom figures with his lack of TOM he did not know his head would go under as a result of the slide like everyone elses! So, he starts screaming "not fair". And screams that the rest of the day, and all the way home in the car, and even at bedtime, wimpers "not fair" until he goes to sleep. She feels absolutley horrible.

Only, the next morning he wakes up, and starts drawing waterslides. He becomes obsessed with them, and continues to draw them for years! Waterslides become one of the only things he is interested in, although he does show really strong ability in math and music too. Anyway, this child grows up, and actually finds a college who accepts him with the purpose of tailoring a program to teach him everything he needs to know about designing "waterslides". He does really well, and now has a job working for a waterslide manufacturer in the design department! He is living a semi independant life now with a steady job! I just thought that was absolutely amazing!

Wonderful - thanks for sharing that.

I'm sorry though not surprised to hear you were brutalised for sharing the letter. Been there myself. I hope you continue to add your own strong and positive voice to autism forums on various matters. There are quite a few parents of children considered to be 'low functioning' who are very outspoken in the community(eg Kev Leitch) in terms of acceptance and positive views. They are out there. Everyone is entitled to their view and deserves to be respectfully heard. Parents more often than not, deserve alot more support and respect than they get and there's no doubting that many struggle on a daily basis. Support, education, acceptance and a positive view can make a world of difference in a family's life.

Further positive articles:

"A Place For All"
Jasmine Lee O'Neill
http://greg.quuxuum.org/journal/o_neill.html

Excerpt:
"To want a so-called "normal" life for one's child is actually a part of loving that child. The good parent wants his or her youngster to grow up happy, loved, feeling confident, and to be able to live a fulfilling life. Having autism does not destroy those potentials; it only alters their course. It changes how things must be accomplished. It creates a fascinating, complex individual who stands out and is remembered, even for little things. Instead of trying to push a "normal" life upon a person with Autism, the goal should be re-evaluated. Those who are autistic will always be autistic. They will have unusual behaviors and distinctly different thought patterns. They will have their personal routines and rituals. They will always exist apart from the regular flow of life. This is a blessing and a type of freedom.

"Self Affirmation Pledge"
Lianne Holiday Willey
http://www.autism-mi.org/aboutautism/asperger4.html

And a final piece from Ari(he knows what he's talking about:)):
"Difference Is Not A Disease"
http://www.thejewishweek.com/bottom/fre ... ?artid=360