thoughts + the spectrum

I've read several blog posts about parenting high-functioning kids, but this one really resonated with me. "I could not be more grateful. I would not want him to be any other way than fearfully and wonderfully made by the One who loves Luke more than I can comprehend." 

I also read a book this week called be different: adventures of a free-range aspergian. The author was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome when he was 40. He shares (with humor) anecdotes about how he processes information, relates socially, his quirks, sensory overloads.. It really helped me.

Here are a few excerpts:
"Autism in its many forms is not a disease. It's a way of being that comes with this nonstandard wiring in the brain. The latest science suggests we're most likely born different, or else we become autistic early in infancy. We don't develop Asperger's as teenagers; life on the autism spectrum is the only life we've known. We will always be perplexed when we gaze at people who aren't on the spectrum, and they will always struggle to understand our unconventional way of thinking."


Rituals:
"I had developed particular food-eating rituals that gave me comfort. I separated everything on my plate so different dishes didn't touch; I ate foods in order of best to worse; and I minced my vegetables. By adulthood my system of mincing asparagus was firmly embedded in my psyche."

Naming:
"For as long as I can remember, people have commented on my strange names for things. Like Varmint, my little brother. Or Bugle, the beagle dog. Or Small Animal, our cat. Well those names aren't strange to me. My names are all based on logic, reason, and knowledge."

Manners:
(visiting his Grandmother as a child) "I, on the other hand, tended to ignore or question adult commands that I didn't think made sense. When Little Bob said, "Yes, sir!" and I said, "No!" or "Why?" it never went over too well with the grownups.

Not reading people:
"People with autism have mirror neurons just like nypicals, but in us its like the volume is turned down. A big smile on your face makes a tiny grin on mine. So I respond, but sometimes the response is so small and weak you can't even see it.

"The saying "Kids are the center of their own universe" is particularly true for those of us autism or Asperger's....If I was playing with Lincoln Logs, and you came up and showed me a truck, I'd say "No! Lincoln Logs! No trucks! I said that because I was thinking about logs and it just didn't occur to me that you might have your own thoughts and want to play with a truck."

I could keep writing and writing. But you get the idea. Its a great book.