Autism: An upbeat perspective

(Photo by Nancy J. Price)

In an article titled "The perks of autism," Sunday Stilwell writes about being the mother of two autistic children, and compares that with parenting neuro-typical  (NT) ones.  Although she does not discount the challenges of her situation, she also heralds its strengths.

For example, Stilwell applauds the fact that her "boys do not whine."  They might scream at times with the frustration of not being able to verbally express their feelings, but the incessant whining that whittles away at the psyche is thankfully absent.  Rather than engaging in a litany of nit-picking questions, her children prefer succinct and straightforward information.

Stilwell states that her boys display a "lack of greed and competition."  This means that on Christmas morning they are satisfied with far less than the average NT child craves.  Plus, they are not looking over their shoulders to compare gifts with everyone else.  Instead, they are concentrating upon what's right in front of them.

This results in an astonishing dearth of sibling rivalry.  Not only are Stilwell's boys appreciative of their own toys, but they are also prone to independently enjoy them.  They are far more interested in marching to their own beat than in raining on someone else's parade.        

Resources

http://living.msn.com/family-parenting/mom-to-mom-blog-post/?post=55f4b34f-e372-4dd9-b478-245c9cf845e7

Copyright May 29, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved