It is often hilarious and sometimes heartwarming encounters of people in the general public. I stumbled across one about a caretaker and an autistic child in a library that I wanted to share...
No Pranks, Just Thanks
Library | Eugene, OR, USA
(I am shelving DVDs in a library when a man comes in with a boy who appears to be autistic. The boy sees a movie about Thanksgiving)
Boy: “Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving! I’m thankful… I’m thankful for… I’m thankful for my friends at school!”
Caretaker: “You’re thankful for your friends at school?”
Boy: “Yeah! Yeah and… and… what are you thankful for? Are you thankful for your friends?”
Caretaker: *no response*
Boy: “Are you thankful for me?”
Caretaker: “I’m thankful for you, kid. I’m more thankful for you than all my friends in the world.”
Boy: *smiles*
Now, if you know me, I am not one who believes that there should be a "cure" found for autism. I think that we should make the individuals as functional as possible, but we should not cure them. They are simply just another deviation of the human experience and we should learn to accept and love them for who they are, and not judge them for the diagnosis they have. Autism is not a disease. It is a syndrome. It is a set of behaviors that an individual displays. If someone watched me close enough on a daily basis, they would probably think I had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Autism, or something of the sort. Every child that I have ever met that had a diagnosis of Autism was different. They are all so unique and all have a special set of talents, skills, and personality traits that we can appreciate. Why would we want to change that in these kids? They may have what we consider "unusual" behaviors, but I'm sure some of what I do is unusual to them and they don't try to change me! My students love me for who I am, and I love them for who they are, and every day we are working together to better each other. I do not think that they should be cured, only educated to be more functionally independent in life.
Boy: “Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving! I’m thankful… I’m thankful for… I’m thankful for my friends at school!”
Caretaker: “You’re thankful for your friends at school?”
Boy: “Yeah! Yeah and… and… what are you thankful for? Are you thankful for your friends?”
Caretaker: *no response*
Boy: “Are you thankful for me?”
Caretaker: “I’m thankful for you, kid. I’m more thankful for you than all my friends in the world.”
Boy: *smiles*
Now, if you know me, I am not one who believes that there should be a "cure" found for autism. I think that we should make the individuals as functional as possible, but we should not cure them. They are simply just another deviation of the human experience and we should learn to accept and love them for who they are, and not judge them for the diagnosis they have. Autism is not a disease. It is a syndrome. It is a set of behaviors that an individual displays. If someone watched me close enough on a daily basis, they would probably think I had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Autism, or something of the sort. Every child that I have ever met that had a diagnosis of Autism was different. They are all so unique and all have a special set of talents, skills, and personality traits that we can appreciate. Why would we want to change that in these kids? They may have what we consider "unusual" behaviors, but I'm sure some of what I do is unusual to them and they don't try to change me! My students love me for who I am, and I love them for who they are, and every day we are working together to better each other. I do not think that they should be cured, only educated to be more functionally independent in life.
No comments:
Post a Comment