cafe
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2007
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- 9w1
I'm not really what you would call an autism activist. I've been on autism forums, but I never really had any urge to stay on one long term. Autism has never felt like a huge tragedy to me. It's more like something to work around. I imagine it's because my sons are high-functioning. If they were not, I would probably need a lot more moral support.
Anyway, spending hours a day thinking about autism is not what I do. When there is an interface issue, I look for a solution. If there is no solution, we just grit our teeth and get through it. I know that my sons are harder to parent than your average neuro-typical children, but what on earth would I do with normal boys anyway?
As it is, I have some extra effort getting them to do things like going to bed, bathing, preparing to leave the house, and making sure they behave reasonably appropriately in public, but other than that, they are not demanding children. I figure it mostly evens out.
But I do think Autism Awareness is great. It makes it easier to explain things when people have heard about it on the news. If people give me a chance to talk and are friendly, I can help them understand a little about it and they usually try to be helpful and accommodating if we need it.
And the stats are such that people do need to be aware: 1 in 150. I do not know what research will tell us about autism in the years to come. Is it a recent epidemic? Are people being over-diagnosed? Have there always been this many autistics and we just didn't know what it was? What causes it? It's going to be interesting to see where it all goes.
It's hard for me to be pro-cure because to me, I guess I don't see my sons as diseased, you know? They have their quirks like anyone else, it's just that their quirks fall into categories that society considers autistic. Neurotypicals do tons of things I consider extremely abnormal, but they don't need a cure, I guess because enough people do them to allow them to be considered normal.
Anyway, locally (just read it on our paper's website) we had the mayor's proclamation of World Autism Awareness Day. The bowling alley is offering reduced rates and free shoe rental to families of autistic children. Saturday, the movie theater is doing a special quieter screening of Horton Hears a Who.
It's all very nice, but I am really wondering whose idea it was to make World Autism Awareness Day on April first. I mean, would you take a kid that acts funny to the special set aside lanes at the bowling alley for kids that act funny on April Fool's Day?
I'm thinking I wouldn't.
Anyway, spending hours a day thinking about autism is not what I do. When there is an interface issue, I look for a solution. If there is no solution, we just grit our teeth and get through it. I know that my sons are harder to parent than your average neuro-typical children, but what on earth would I do with normal boys anyway?
As it is, I have some extra effort getting them to do things like going to bed, bathing, preparing to leave the house, and making sure they behave reasonably appropriately in public, but other than that, they are not demanding children. I figure it mostly evens out.
But I do think Autism Awareness is great. It makes it easier to explain things when people have heard about it on the news. If people give me a chance to talk and are friendly, I can help them understand a little about it and they usually try to be helpful and accommodating if we need it.
And the stats are such that people do need to be aware: 1 in 150. I do not know what research will tell us about autism in the years to come. Is it a recent epidemic? Are people being over-diagnosed? Have there always been this many autistics and we just didn't know what it was? What causes it? It's going to be interesting to see where it all goes.
It's hard for me to be pro-cure because to me, I guess I don't see my sons as diseased, you know? They have their quirks like anyone else, it's just that their quirks fall into categories that society considers autistic. Neurotypicals do tons of things I consider extremely abnormal, but they don't need a cure, I guess because enough people do them to allow them to be considered normal.
Anyway, locally (just read it on our paper's website) we had the mayor's proclamation of World Autism Awareness Day. The bowling alley is offering reduced rates and free shoe rental to families of autistic children. Saturday, the movie theater is doing a special quieter screening of Horton Hears a Who.
It's all very nice, but I am really wondering whose idea it was to make World Autism Awareness Day on April first. I mean, would you take a kid that acts funny to the special set aside lanes at the bowling alley for kids that act funny on April Fool's Day?
I'm thinking I wouldn't.