Insight and Understanding

There have been times on this autism journey with Owen that I have wondered if we might not all have been better off had he never been diagnosed. He is generally so high functioning that his autistic traits usually appear more as quirks than anything and sometimes I wonder if this label that's he's been saddled with will do more harm than good. 

But then I read John Elder Robison's* blog today about the value of neuro-psychological testing and it reminded me that I am grateful to have a better understanding of my son -- and that he will grow up with a better understanding of himself -- and that it's not the label I hate, it's just the lack of understanding and support that goes with it. 

Obviously, that's changing and I hope that it will continue to change as Owen gets older. And I hope he can find inspiration in people like Mr. Robison so he can go forward knowing that being different can be amazing. 

*If you haven't yet read his book, "Look Me In the Eye: My Life with Asperger's," run out and buy it now. It not only provides insight into Asperger's, but it's just a really good story on its own. The guy toured with KISS!