Tuesday 19 December 2017

Autism DOES NOT define my Little Superheroes!


I've read a number of posts on various social media sites recently about whether or not autism is the defining factor for individuals who are on the spectrum.

I've previously published a post about this but I wanted to revisit the topic.

The majority of the articles that I have read have stated that yes, autism does in fact define individuals on the spectrum because, well, autism is all that they are.

But I disagree ....

Don't get my wrong, autism is a huge part of both of my little superheroes but it certainly isn't all of them.

Autism does explain some of their behaviours, it is the missing link for us in what WE were missing as their parents to help them succeed in this world.

I was recently asked to list L and O's strengths and I was honestly astounded to hear that many parents are unable to list their ASD child's strengths.

The way that I look at it, is that if you only see a child's autism, you will miss every other part of the child.



If you only focus on L's autism, you will miss his cheeky personality, his massive sense of adventure, his curious nature, his wantingness to learn new skills ....

If you only focus on O's autism, you will miss her amazing imagination, her caring and empathetic nature, her intelligence, her creative ability ....

You can't ignore their autism as it is a part of them but it is not all of them.

In my mind by saying that autism defines an individual, autism can then be used as an excuse.

"Oh I can't do that, I have autism."

No, autism should not stop you trying your up most best to reach your goals. Autism may slow you down but it should not stop you.

Whether you use the term "have autism" or "is autistic", autism does not define either of my little superheroes. We (my little superheroes included) prefer "have autism.


5 comments:

  1. You are right, autism can not stop from being successful. Just give a try is must thing. They have to work hard but it is not impossible.

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  2. This is very sweet! I’m glad you are able to talk about this topic and have a better understanding and be positive while many others are not! You are doing a fantastic job!

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  3. I think this is awesome! Being able to write about this topic in such a positive way while many others can’t! You’re doing an amazing job!

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  4. I love this! You have to work with what you’ve got but that doesn’t mean you should give yourself limitations because you never know what may be possible if you never try. You’re doing a great thing opening the world of possibilities and refusing to accept some sort of ceiling of limitations for your babes!

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  5. I love this. I just had a guest post on autism. Her daughter wasn’t defined by autism. It is just a part of her.

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I would love to hear your thoughts on my blog. I do read all the comments that are posted. Thanks so much for stopping by. Jen xx