Different, NOT less than!

I have always seen the brilliance and the gifts in Autism. To me, Autism is another way of "being." I believe we are all on the Spectrum of Life. When the word, Autism is broken down, we get "AUT=SELF, and ISM=Being. Putting them together gives us, "BEING IN THE SELF". In the greater sense of the word, the Self equates to the Higher Self.

I believe in the school of thought, that there is no right or wrong. Just different. This holds true for Autism as well.

Here is a typical scerio. Okay, so a child is tantrumming in the middle of the Grocery Store. Some people will pass him/her and the parent and judge the child as being naughty, inappropriate, spoiled, etc. Some will judge the parent as undisciplinary or a bad parent.
But, what if there are unseen factors? Sure, sometimes the behaviors are learned, however
there are extenuating circumstances for a child/adult with Autism. Their sensory system is
unfiltered, and they are more open to the input in their enviroment. eg) Most autistics can hear more than the average person, sometimes A LOT more. Overall, they can feel, see, taste, and hear more than most Neurotypical (NT) people can. Their sensory system is heightened Unlike, the average Joe, autistic people on the average, cannot filter the sensory information coming in. So...instead of focusing on one thing at a time, they are experiencing all of their senses simultaneously. I think you get the picture. So, let's go back to the grocery store for one moment. Typically there are alot of people in the store. (to an autistic person, that means, more energy) On top of that, lots of different noises, including people talking at the same time, flourescent lights blinking and humming, music in the backround, cash registers, babies, kids, different smells, different temperatures, etc etc etc. So, this child on the floor can be reacting to just about anything.

I find it interesting that society says all people should "be" the same way to be "normal or typical". Who really wants to be "normal" anyway? Acceptance, Compassion and Understanding, are now more important than it's ever been before. We would never expect a cat to act like a dog, or a girl to act like a boy. Why should we expect an autistic person to act like a neurotypical person? It's time to embrace diversity. Who's in?

One of my favorite quotes is by Dr. Wayne Dyer. He says, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." So, for me, I see the gifts in Autism. I embrace their unconditional loving essense, their acceptance of all, their love for music and their uniqueness. They are mostly happy individuals. They are creative and innocent. I love watching them look at themselves in the mirror. They see their True Selves. It is critical that parents start seeing the gifts instead of the deficits. Typically the autistic children who are supported and accepted, accomplish more in their lives.

I offer you an invitation to look for the Gifts in your child/relative/student/friend on the Spectrum. More than likely, a whole other world will emerge!