[njbchbum]

to all who have shared the experiences of autism - i salute you and share in your hopes and desires. we are all one big family!

[graciegirl]

I share your feelings. When a child in your life is special, you have been singled out to do great things.

youtube you and me against the world - Bing Videos

This song always brings tears to our eyes.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

to all who have shared the experiences of autism - i salute you and share in your hopes and desires. we are all one big family!

Thanks. My parents said I was diagnosed as autistic when I was very young. My mother had some kind of flu when I was still in her womb. I do believe that there are bad diagnoses however. I remember being in a camp for the mentally retarded. They did not distinguish the mentally retarded from the autistic back around 1966 of 1967 when this happened in the Milwaukee area. I struggled with co-ordination and speech problems however. A wonderful teacher in Reno, Nevada in High School at Earl Wooster HS, Mrs. Barbara Mitchell bolstered my self-confidence which had always been lacking. She challenged me to read books like Anna Karenina and Crime and Punishment. Fortunately, I had other teachers at other stages who helped me get a law degree, a MA in Librarianship from the University of Denver, and 2 BAs from the University of Nevada, Reno. I also used these 4 degrees and the connections they gave me to fight for better access for victims/survivors of violent crimes mainly because of the fateful 1976 murder of Mrs. Mitchell's daughter on my birthday of 2-24 near the University of Nevada, Reno campus where she was a nursing student. I do believe that my work for survivors of crimes-- volunteer as it was-- did have a big impact especially because of my role of cataloger of all the WESTLAW files in their database as they existed around 1990 for a national project.

Still do not see autistic as the right diagnosis but how others see you is ALMOST as important as how you see yourself. I have had to fight with the autistic label quite often as a preteen and teen. I did as I said have speech problems which still crop up from time to time. Do not think I would have got through Law School at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis without the help and support of three Student Body Presidents who befriended me while I was there as well as the good friends I made in Legal Assistance to Minnesota Prisoners.

[redwitch]

I embrace my "differentness." I always knew I was slightly off -- never quite did or say the right thing in social situations, was too sensitive to sensory issues, too easily frustrated. I was fortunate that I was raised in a very structured environment (Army/embassy) -- the rules were very black and white, behavior highly regulated. I was okay so long as I knew the rules, but a total disaster when I was left to fend for myself. Today, I still make social gaffes but can usually laugh them off -- you either take me as I am or not, your choice, not my problem. I like most of me.

I was diagnosed with Aspergers in my 40s. It so fit many of my issues. After five years of extensive therapy, I've actually become far more functioning and able to cope with things that would have me running and hiding in the past. I can even look you in the eye for more than two seconds! I am lucky that I am very high-functioning but I'm still on the spectrum. You won't know I'm an Aspie unless I tell you or you really get to know me -- I'll make just enough social gaffes to give you a clue over time and the sensory issues will always be with me, so those can be very obvious.

I'm so grateful that autism is openly discussed today, that it is more understood, that people understand it doesn't necessarily mean you are developmentally challenged, that the different levels of autism are acknowledged and, mostly, that those not on the spectrum have come to embrace those of us who are, regardless of our level.

So, thanks for the post and thanks for caring.

[njbchbum]

amazing and wonderful stories tal and red! and gracie is so right that these special people bring out the special qualities of the families who love them so much!

anyone diagnosed in any way as having special needs [as does my niece's son] inevitably also has special gifts.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

amazing and wonderful stories tal and red! and gracie is so right that these special people bring out the special qualities of the families who love them so much!

anyone diagnosed in any way as having special needs [as does my niece's son] inevitably also has special gifts.

Thanks. I don't really see that we know enough about the human brain and how it works to give really accurate labels for diseases and malfunctions that affect it. The progress in the science of the brain seems incredibly slow IMHO. A lot of it also seems to relate to politics and funding of research and the like. The History of Psychology is full of events where science takes a back seat to prejudice, politics, and ignorance.

[Villages PL]

A good book on this subject: "Neurodiversity: Discovering the Extra Ordinary Gifts of Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Brain differences.

It seems like it must have been about a year ago that I read this book. I believe the author stated that we are all affected by disorders in one way or another. In other words, no brain is perfect and disorders come with gifts.

Some interesting facts: He said there's a higher than usual percentage of autistic people living in Silicon Valley, California, because they are good at designing software etc.. Also, he put forth the idea that Albert Einstein was Austic. His great achievments in science supposedly were partly due to the fact that he could stay narrowly focused on a problem for long periods of time, to the exclusion of everything else. Given that outlook, should we hope for a cure or learn to appreciate and celibrate their achievements? He thinks we need all kinds of people thinking in different ways.

Perhaps someone should start a club in The Villages for neurodiversity and bring all those people together who have the brain differences mentioned in the title of his book.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

A good book on this subject: "Neurodiversity: Discovering the Extra Ordinary Gifts of Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Brain differences.

It seems like it must have been about a year ago that I read this book. I believe the author stated that we are all affected by disorders in one way or another. In other words, no brain is perfect and disorders come with gifts.

Some interesting facts: He said there's a higher than usual percentage of autistic people living in Silicon Valley, California, because they are good at designing software etc.. Also, he put forth the idea that Albert Einstein was Austic. His great achievments in science supposedly were partly due to the fact that he could stay narrowly focused on a problem for long periods of time, to the exclusion of everything else. Given that outlook, should we hope for a cure or learn to appreciate and celibrate their achievements? He thinks we need all kinds of people thinking in different ways.

Perhaps someone should start a club in The Villages for neurodiversity and bring all those people together who have the brain differences mentioned in the title of his book.

Then almost everyone would have to gather because almost everyone would have some little quirk or anxiety or tugging sadness, at least at times. Probably all of us have a little of something that if we had a lot of it it would be a mental illness.

It makes us all human and imperfect and should make us a little more patient with ourselves and with others.

Being well adjusted isn't always a choice but being nice almost always is.

[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

snipped
Perhaps someone should start a club in The Villages for neurodiversity and bring all those people together who have the brain differences mentioned in the title of his book.

perhaps the theme of the club could be 'putting the fun back in 'disfunctional'!

[redwitch]

One problem -- most of us that would fit the club wouldn't want to join.

[DougB]

When God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child.

[PammyJ]

My Daniel is a blessing! He is 27, and is the most gentle, yet strong person I know. As the years move forward, there are more people diagnosed. I think it is 1 out of every 80 people are on the spectrum. This ratio changes every year. It will be interesting in the next decades how the human race will be! Tolerance and acceptance of a diverse population will be key! DougB, you are so smart, sometimes!