Overshadowed

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This summer was good for my son. He's had a lot of fun. Recently I put him to weekly piano lessons. He's had four sessions so far (45 min each time, with a few breaks, and some snack, during session).

Yesterday he surprised me by composing his first tune ever, at age 8. I mean, until recently, his keyboard skill was at the level of playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" with one single finger. He patiently played the tune over and over again, until he had a version of his liking. He recorded the tune on the electronic piano keyboard at home.

I asked my son what image he had in his mind when he composed the tune, he said "space." So I let him pick up a free space-related image file from Internet. I asked him for a title, but it was taking too long for him to come up with one. I then asked my 10-year-old daughter for help. She looked at the picture for a moment, and came up with the name "Overshadowed." My son was fine with the title. I asked my daughter about the meaning behind the title, and she explained: "Overshadowed, because autistic people are not being recognized enough." Wow! This little girl surely had a very philosophical understanding about life. I looked at the picture and it all made sense: autistic people are like the bright light behind the shadow, but often are not given the right opportunities or path of development.

How can you not be proud of children like these?

This is a great achievement. Lovely title and concept and nice co-operation on title too!

They have talents and as a parent you are doing a really good job honing their talents.

My daughter is very gifted with art and creative writing. Her work just blows me away. Her ability to capture movement in her pictures is really astounding. People say her art is museum worthy at 8. I don't know about that but I think it is beautiful and hope she will always produce art.

The perseverance and dedication is what constantly amazes me. Take swimming. My daughter at 5 struggled with the heat and hustle and bustle of the changing room, she struggled with not being able to feel dry enough to get dressed. She got very angry and stressed a few times. We thought of quitting. She persevered. At 8 she is by far the best swimmer in her class. She swims butterfly, dolphin, she tears up and down the lane in a swimming class where everyone is years and years older and bigger than her. She still feels a little funny about the changing rooms but she came up with some really good coping strategies. She takes her time, she handles it. I bring a book and wait outside.

I didn't know my daughter had autism until she was 8. But looking back the things that stand out are the times she persevered..... like a day when she was 3 and she decided she wanted to wear lace up shoes but could not accept anyone else tying her laces and so decided to sit for a whole day learning how to tie laces. She did it. She has tied her own laces since she was 3. That is her in a nutshell.

That insistence and dedication is hard to beat. However I find these achievements are often overshadowed in other people's eyes. Grandparents in particular, who want the easy soul who makes light dinner conversation about what they have learnt at school or who gives a big hug and kiss at parting. Now she doesn't do that, so they just don't get her.