Today a quote:
And a note:
So… it is April 28 and I am almost at the end of my 30-day-blog-adventure. There have been a couple of times when I have regretted that I began 3 days early and posted 3 times in March. A more experienced blogger would have banked those ones – like a run at the hill, but I am not experienced.
I have made some new connections, reminisced, laughed, and cried, and written like crazy, but mostly I have felt that I am doing my little bit for my kid and others like him.
Here’s the thing though, I don’t think thirty days is going to be enough, and I am thinking this for a couple of reasons.
I still have topics swirling around in my head: The Gap, time out, dealing with grief, self-regulation strategies, perspectives on grilled cheese and swimming, the development and power of self-talk, the nudge of spring and the shedding of obligation, what is that trajectory and periods of consolidation, inexpensive sensory items, birthday party advice, problem solving… Ahhhhhhrrrgh! These topics are not getting fewer- rather they are multiplying – like cellular division- or perhaps housework!
Autism means H has a different way of thinking. After these 30 days- he will still have autism/be Autistic. He will be autistic next week, and next year when he is 13, and when he is 25, and even when he is 40. Autism is a part of him; it is a part of many, many people.
Our world has become better, though not perfect, at embracing/tolerating diversity in gender, race, cultural and ethnic background, sexuality, politics, and religion. We now need to expand this to include acceptance of different ways of processing, understanding, and interacting with the world. We have an opportunity to accept and celebrate neurological diversity.
Thirty Days of Autism is written with the intention of increasing awareness and understanding for those who think differently, and there is more work that needs to be done so that H, and others like him, find a world that will accept and support their differences as they become adults.
And then, maybe too, a few of my own Autistic shadow traits are a’showin’ in that I just can’t stop once I get focused on something… and this job is not yet done…
Oh, the possibilities…
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30 Days of Autism is a project designed to fight stigma, promote civil rights, and increase understanding and acceptance for those who process and experience the world differently.
© Leah Kelley, Thirty Days of Autism, (2011)
Thirty Days of Autism 