Autism
My oldest son has autism. Most days I don't even think about him having it, I just think of him as my son. Then days like today, bring everything back to reality. This is not something that will ever leave him. He is high functioning compared to others with PDD/autism yet autistic enough to have me worrying about him ever living independently. He is high functioning enough to realize he is different and that is what breaks my heart most of all. He doesn't want to be different and he cannot understand why he behaves the way he does. He is fortunate that he has true friends and he is so friendly that not many people are mean to him anymore. I fear that will change when we move to a new state and school. The sad part about all of this is that technically, there isn't anything wrong with him other than he acts differently than others. He is not mean, he is not violent, he is not mentally inferior, he is just different. Why must he change his entire being and nature just to fit into this world?
posted by Daphnewood @ 7:53 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I used to be a substitute teacher in SC. I frequently taught the 6th-grade "E.D." class, one child, Andrew, was autistic. at first I thought it was difficult to communicate with him, then his mother tipped me off that he watched Nickelodeon every Friday night, so I started watching it, too, and talking to him about it. He is incredibly intelligent. The most amusing thing I liked about him was that when he watched movies, he would quote the movies in coversation. It was fun trying to figure out what movie he was quoting, and funny the way he took a movie-quote out of context and worked it into our conversation. Each child has a different personality, and different needs. I loved substitute teaching that class, listening to the children and learning from them. I relate to you on some level in my limited experience, and admire your empathy with your son, and your attitude.
This one affected me. I have no answer, but I just wanted to say that to the best of my abilities, I fully relate to how you feel.
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