About Me

I am the proud mother of 6 children. 5 of our children have autism. We do not feel our world has ended, but just begun. We do not chelate, intervene biochemically, give shots of any kind, practice ABA, etc. We treat them as we treat any humanbeing. We treat them with kindness and respect and expect the same from them. They are exceptional children.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

AUTISM: PURE & SIMPLE

Those that know me are aware that I am a very proud person. I am not brilliant, but by no means am I stupid. I do, after all, hold a high school graduation diploma from Pflugerville High School, class of 1978. I was not the valedictorian, but I was not the bottom of the class of 80 students..
My point...yes, I have a point.
I have been trying, for almost a year now, to keep up with all the scientific mumbo-jumgo on the autism forums. I am now officially giving up on trying to figure out what these parent's of autistic children are fighting about while trying to figure autism out.
I am going to stick with parent's forums who give advice...I mean sound advice on parenting autistic children. Not what supplements to give, or how much DMSA, B12, etc. This conversation has just become to damn depressing for me.
I have better things to do...such as raise the best children I can.
I have no reason to read about the causes or curations of autistic children. After all, I do not do biomedical interventions on my children, so why am I there? Just to get my blood boiling, I assume.
I will let the parent's of these children try to figure out, on their own, what they are looking for.
I have already found the peace I am looking for. I have had 16 years to figure this out.

Autism is not difficult.
Autism is not a disease, but a disorder.
Autistic people do not need to conform to society, but Society needs to conform to Autistic people.
Adult Autistic people need to know they have a purpose in this world. They need to know that we accept them. They need to know that we cannot function without their brilliance and beauty.
Whether they are scientists, artists, math geniouses, parent's , siblings, students or anything else they choose to be.
Autistic adults will be a vital part of our future....I hope that society wakes up and accepts this.
I know, in our house, we did this a long time ago......

Autistic people are truthful, non-judmental, caring, loving, smart, artistic and genuine people.
They expect no more from anyone than what they give..and believe me, they give much more than they receive.
Autistic adults want one thing, They want to belong....PURE AND SIMPLE.

16 comments:

J said...

I love the pure simplicity of this post. Nice work articulating how many of us parents feel.

Another Autism Mom said...

When REAL doctors and scientists find good biomedical treatments for autism, then I'll stop and listen. But I won't pay attention to the pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo spilled by quacks and gullible parents. You're right, it's incredibly depressing, paranoid, utterly insane what you see in those foruns.

Anonymous said...

Wow. I wish you could have presented for 5 minutes at the house whatever hearing a couple weeks ago. I was just listening to the first half of the audio from it (featured Julie Gerberding of the CDC and Tom Insel from the NIMH, some mom--who wasn't a psycho (thank goodness, and Bob Wright (king hypocrite) of AS and ?? I can't remember if there was someone else. Anyway, some of the senators and others were going on about autism being a disease and one codger of a politician said he had just learned from the Discover magazine that autism might be originating in the gut and blah blah...

I wish you had been there and read the content of this blog entry and answered questions...

Zaecus Celestis said...

"Autistic people are truthful, non-judmental, caring, loving, smart, artistic and genuine people."

I don't really think all of this is always true of every one of us, but it makes, as does the whole post, a much appreciated counterpoint to other things.

I am extremely grateful.

Mom26children said...

steve d,
Glad you liked the post. I recently have had the pleasure of meeting some severely autistic adults. Pure joy. They just want to be able to work and be loved by people.What is so hard about that?

another autism mom,
REAL doctors and scientist being the key....

ms.clark,
I have been asked to speak at 2 conferences this Summer. First off, wish me luck...secondly, I hope I do proud by my children and all autistic children and adults everywhere.
I will speak on raising autistic children, something I have become an "expert" at....

zaecus celestis,
The autistic adults and children I have met, in my life, are all what I wrote. I love honesty and purity in people....the autistic community represents this to me.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this post. It really speaks the truth, plain and simple. Your children are so lucky to have you.

Do'C said...

- After all, I do not do biomedical interventions on my children, so why am I there? Just to get my blood boiling, I assume.

Kind of like stopping to look at a bad car wreck sometimes isn't it? I mean, I've never seen so many twists and agulated fractures of reality and basic anantomy and physiology all in one place.

Domestic Goddess said...

You are braver than I. I just cannot go to those places and read/watch what people are doing. I just don't want to know. I am sure there are those (like a few I know personally) that are confused by my "doing nothing" but we ARE doing something. We are loving and loving and loving. He is soooo happy. He does take seizure meds, and we treat those (because we have to) but that's it. No multivitamins, no funky magic pills, no Chelators, no lava water. Nothing. I will admit, I read about them and wanted to try them. But I also realized that if they were that good, why are they so expensive? WHy aren't they readily available? Made me suspicious.

I know my guys just want to belong. They just want to be loved. They have that here.

Anonymous said...

Hi, Jeanette (correctly spelled :) ). Good points on calling the pseudoscience.
But explain to me what it would take for me as a mom to a PDD child to find a severely autistic adult "pure joy". Seriously, unless I completely change my personality, take up a mood enhancing substance or serious yoga I just can't help but be scared of the possibility that that severely autistic adult may one day be my son. All you've said about acceptance, respect etc notwithstanding (because I agree with it all) but...pure joy?

Lillian (Alex's mom)

Mom26children said...

Hi Lillian,
Thanks for the correct spelling of my name...
I look at 2 severely autistic children every day...my oldest daughter and my youngest son.
It is my job they will have a future and be well-respected and valuable in our community. I will achieve this goal.
As for looking at them as "PURE JOY"....not hard at all. They cheer me up in ways I thought would never be possible.
They are such an important part of my world and soon to the world around them.
As far as mood enhancing substance and such...I do enjoy a nice glass of wine or a very cold margarita on occasion.
Jeanette

Bev said...

Thanks. I needed this today.
--an autistic adult

John Best said...

The only thing your non-verbal son will be a vital part of is keeping institution workers employed. He would be very happy if you used biomedical treatment to allow him to talk.
The quacks are the ones who put too much mercury into infants. These people defend their malpractice by calling those who help to correct their idiotic mistake quacks.

Mom26children said...

John,
My "non-verbal" son is gaining words every day. There is no doubt, in my mind, he will be fully verbal. He was reading at the age of 2 1/2.
Our oldest daughter began speaking at the age of 9 years. She started reading at the age of 2.
An institution is not in any of my children's future. There will be no need. I see their future as brightly as I see anyone's.

All of our children finished the school year out with honor roll, yet again. They all are fully-inclusioned with NT peers. No bullying going on....they are loved and accepted by everyone..just like at home.
Jeanette

LIVSPARENTS said...

"I mean, I've never seen so many twists and agulated fractures of reality and basic anantomy and physiology all in one place."

Hey Do'c, you sure you weren't on Contortionistweb.com?

Foresam's on Distortionistweb.com

Ms Clarke Revultionistweb.com

"You're right, it's incredibly depressing, paranoid, utterly insane what you see in those forums."

Why is dealing with my child's issues depressing?
Would a child going to Speech therapy not seeing progress be positive or depressing?
Would an OT not making good sensory progress be a happy or depressing thing?

Very little is depressing, paranoid and insane, just another way of looking at the issue. People at possible alternatives to the prevailing THEORY that NOTHING medically can be done; or that nothing medically is CAUSING issues...

I choose to thing that at the very least, what i do does not harm and may in fact HELP with their medical issues...

bigwhitehat said...

Outstanding.

Just what I would expect from a Texan.

MOTHER OF MANY said...

My once non-verbal 6 year old told me last week, 'I think it's an aeroplane ' as she heard one go over.Her first real sentence.My daughter has speech therapy in school, 15 minutes every 2 weeks as part of a class of 7. Just over 2 minutes each! That's all the government thinks a profoundly autistic child needs.My child learns from me at home and she is learning and developing everyday.Her consultant is impressed with her progress and so am I.
I have searched all the therapies and cures and what is obviously working for me and her is playing together, reading together and talking together and helping her learn life skills in the way that most parents teach their children.
From the child that sat rocking and doing nothing else we have come a long way, and the progress is escalating daily.
Financially my daughters future is independently secure and as well her older sisters, 2 university graduates, one in university and 1 going this September have all said that they will take care of her because they want to.Why then is there this assumption that adults with learning difficulties are a burden and have to live in institutions?
I have a friend in Malta who still lives in the house that she grew up in with her grandparents, her parents and now her husband and her children.There the whole family live together and take care of each other.The same with friends that I have from Iran, the husband could not understand how we in the UK farm out our disabled and elderly
- his words (though respite care can be a wonderful thing).
I am happy for other parents to help their children in the way that they feel best, so why can't they accept that my child's progress shows that my choices work best for my child and our family?