Autism: Blessings too

These'll do...   (Public Domain)

Autism is so often portrayed as a disability in today's neuro-typical

(NT) society that its special blessings are generally overlooked.

It was therefore quite refreshing to come across an article by Sunday Stilwell in Parenting Magazine titled "The perks of autism."  Some of these "perks" are quite in line with religious

precepts such as "Thou shalt not covet."

Stilwell talks about how her "two sons on the severe end of the autism spectrum" enjoy a profound lack of sibling rivalry.  They are usually so tuned into their own independent activities that they are not worried about who gets how much of what.

This "lack of greed and competition" even extends to birthdays and holidays. When money is tight, the boys are more than content with what they do receive.  Christmas morning is spent in other ways than "counting who has more presents than

the other."

Clothing, too, is exempt from comparisons.  Because autistic children seem immune to the "crowd mentality," you won't hear them complaining that their jeans aren't quite up to fashion snuff.  In fact, whining in general just isn't their style. 

Resources

http://living.msn.com/family-parenting/raising-kids/the-perks-of-autism

Copyright April 5, 2014 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved