Okay, here comes the confession...I feel a little bit guilty sometimes drawing attention to our story of autism because Owen is so high-functioning. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful every day that he is doing so great, but there are so many children and families fighting much more difficult battles and I don't want our story to dilute the urgency of their situations.
My baby can talk, he can tell jokes, he can read and write and add three-digit figures. He's an Uno champion. He can sing. He gives hugs and kisses. And he has autism. I wish he didn't have it, but not so much because I want him to be different (I like him just fine, thanks)...because I don't want him to be treated differently. I don't want anyone to place limitations on him.
But I want more than a world where his differences are valued and supported. I want answers. I want them for us, but I want them even more for the millions of children who are locked inside themselves, unable to communicate, unable to make sense of this insane planet. And I don't just want an explanation, I want solutions. I want to help these kids. I want them to live their fullest lives on their own terms, not the terms of some mysterious disorder.
I want other people to want these things too.
If you want to learn more about autism, visit Autism Speaks.
2 comments:
This post truly touched me. It means so much that you actually take the time to care about kids who maybe aren't faced with the same challenges that yours are. What a gift..
It made me realize that I need to take a dose of the same medicine when it comes to understanding and caring for the more high functioning kids. I hereby resolve to learn all I can, especially from this blog.
So is Owen into the TMBG ABC's or 123's? :)
Well, we've worn through two copies of the ABC's, but we decided not to buy the 123's because they're putting the songs out on their podcasts for free...plus not having the CD means we don't have to listen to them in the car. :)
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