Great post. Thanks for visiting mine. We have several kids in our church with Asperger's, and this is so true. It is not a disease, just a different way of seeing and interacting with the world. These kids have great parents who help them to work with their strengths. They also recognize that the world can be cruel, and they help their children to figure out how to be "normal" and to "fit in" as much as they can. This is a difficult balance for kids with high-functioning autism and Asperger's
TwoSquareMeals | Homepage | 07.23.08 - 3:52 pm | #

Thank you for this inspiring and informative post and video. This was wonderful as it shows how much "normal" truly varies...
RC | Homepage | 07.23.08 - 11:02 pm | #

Autism does not need to be fixed, it needs to be dealt with. We need to deal with these people as people and not as someone with a plague. I think that when we remember that all people are people and deal with them with respect and love, we start to see everyone differently
Ellie | Homepage | 07.23.08 - 11:31 pm | #

Great post! I have five children - 2 sets of twins all under 5, and one little girl who is turning 13 tomorrow. Ack! Out of that crew of knuckleheads, one child is autistic. He is the light of our lives. I honestly think in some ways, his disability is a gift. He is so bright and loving and sensitive - he looks at the world completely differently, and he is so invested in whatever it is he's doing. He is a JOY to be around, and I have yet to meet a person who doesn't just totally dig him. I hate thinking about some magic pill or therapy or cure just "fixing" him and turning him into a typical child. He's just perfect to us the way he is.
Laura | Homepage | 07.24.08 - 1:36 pm | #

Good post. I spent an entire afternoon on YouTube one day watching Amanda's videos. They gave me much to think about.

I have three children, two who have high-functioning autism. I don't consider it a gift, but I am also not trying to cure it. HFA is hard, for us all. But my children are not "autistic", instead, they have autism. They have autism, autism doesn't have them. They are more than their autism, it is just one aspect of who they are.

Thanks for writing this.

T.
T@SendChocolate | Homepage | 07.25.08 - 1:02 am | #

Another great resource for people who wish to learn more about autism are the Autism Spectrum Podcasts issued by Midnight In Chicago. They are free to everyone and can be found at www.mic.mypodcast.com
Thomas D. Taylor | Homepage | 08.09.08 - 6:06 pm | #