My goal for my son has always been that he be as functional, happy, productive and independent as possible. That goal is ongoing, ever-expanding and never fully realized, which is why it must be immune to any label of finality anyone might attempt to attach to an undefinable outcome. It’s the same goal every parent wants for his or her child. In this, kids with autism are no different than the next child, but we do not call it “fixing” or “curing” so-called typically-developing children when we teach them the skills they need to succeed. Our kids with autism have a tougher path to tread than some of their peers. But why make it even harder with incendiary language and expectations?
Further reading: “Alike, Not Less: Fifty Ways Your Child with Autism is Like All Children”
I am 56 years old. In April 2013 I got the diagnosis that I have high-functioning autism and had it all my life.
I would often feel better being told the blunt, literal truth about my value, compared to hearing the soft-spoken comforting voice attempting to raise my self-esteem, though appreciated, my feelings were equal to presenting a dead cat at a wedding.
As with some others suffering this malady, I find appreciation in the hard, cold, blunt truth, especially concerning my social status. Hearing this provides me with a feeling of security, which is opposite of what the normal people would feel.
Right now, I think, everyone (else) is just coping with we who are autistic. The greatest gift you can offer the autistic person (in my opinion) is to be autistic yourself. It is though these eyes that the world of the autistic will become clear to you and then it we will make perfect sense.
Before you walk in shoes of some one else, you must first remove your own.