Growing up, my son appeared to have no disability at all. It was not until you spent some time with him that you begin to realize that he is definitely a unique character. In school, some teachers would claim that he was a gifted writer with a very creative mind. Other teachers would claim that he was clearly psychotic. These situations may not seem to relate but I learned that they do. You see, my son had the most difficult time understanding our language. I learned that how you spoke with him would create a wide range of reactions that may make him appear gifted or psychotic or anything in between, depending entirely on you. Here is a little story that I hope will show what I mean.
One summer day while I was at work, my son called me.
"Mom, I hurt my finger when I jammed it in paint."
"Oh gosh honey, I am so sorry you hurt yourself." I had exclaimed, as I am frantically trying to figure out what he means. You see, we don't have any cans of paint laying around and even if we did, how could he have hurt himself on the paint. I cannot just ask him what does he mean, because I will confuse him with my question. How could he hurt himself on paint? Think logical. Think like him. How is paint a solid? On the wall? It seemed like a long shot, but I had to ask, so I did. "Was the paint on the wall?"
"Yes," he said, "When I was running down the stairs, I jammed my finger in the paint on the wall."
This was not a perception I had ever heard in my life and yet, my son gives me these unique perceptions on a regular basis.
The moral of this story: Never assume you know what an autistic child means. Always keep your mind open and logical.
Denver, CO
