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Date published: 4/17/2009
Chris Foss' April 1 op-ed about autism ["Accept--and accommodate--the 'disability'"] resonated with me.
I am the mother of a 10-year-old son recently diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, which is on the autism spectrum. During my son's treatment, his therapists strongly suggested that I have this condition as well. That was a light-bulb moment for me, and made much of my past make sense. This past year, I have been on an Internet group list for adults on the autism spectrum. One contributor is Ari Ne'eman, president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, who was cited in the op-ed. This organization seems to be a proponent of the "neurodiversity movement," where those with different "wiring," to put it simply, get the help they need to live full lives, but are allowed to be "different." My understanding is that they want society to meet the person with autism halfway and give accommodations, as it does for the disabled--but to also accept "autists" as folks who experience the world very differently. (For example, I can concentrate on a task and do it well, but find hearing whistling very painful and must leave the area.) Because of my son and my own calling, I have found a new career, in which I sometimes work with children with autism, and hope to gain a master's degree to do more with this in the years ahead. I am a capable adult, but have had to prove myself repeatedly in the workplace and beyond. I cannot easily make eye contact, and people make myriad negative assumptions based on social cues. Ironically, I have landed in a "people-based" job and love it despite my "disability." My hope is that my bright and funny son will have a future in a world that's a bit more educated and open to what truly makes one a full human being. Dina Burnett Spotsylvania
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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