Under Pressure

"Mom Embracing Autism" made this post today.

and I agree with everything she said - so instead of trying to re-phrase what she's already said so very well, I've just included her comments here (in red, under this extremely thought-provoking video).


Autism: Behaviors like Rocking and Flapping from CS on Vimeo.

"Are you comfortable with your autistic child rocking, flapping, and displaying other "autistic" behaviors? I have always tried to let Samuel do these things (and I'm talking about rocking and flapping as well as scripting) as much as possible, but I will admit that as he gets older I am trying to develop the awareness in him that these behaviors are different and that it might be a good idea to do them in private if he can. I do this not because I want him to appear "normal" but because his stimming behaviors seem to get in the way of other things he needs to do. I'd gladly let Samuel rock his way through his school work, like Bill Gates was rocking in his meetings in this video. Right now, however, Samuel repeatedly tunes in and out of his work and his involvement with us as he scripts. I'm moving very slowly in talking to Samuel about this. As far as I'm concerned, I have his whole entire childhood (and maybe longer, if necessary) to educate him and help him learn to cope with life!

I appreciate the opinions that autistic people are making public about the importance of behaviors that convention has held as being "non-functional." That seems to not be the case. They ARE purposeful and functional and we parents should be careful when we try to limit them. We have so much to learn about autism. My gosh, we're still just coming out of the days when autistic people were thought merely to be mentally deficient. We're just beginning to understand that they have a different way of experiencing their surroundings and that they have a different way of learning. Let's be patient and try to understand them better before we go trying to change them in ways that are harmful!"

~Mom Embracing Autism - "living with (not fighting or defeating) autism"

now, for my comments...

Since Jaden is high on the spectrum, his stimming isn't as noticeable or severe as what most people see as "autistic behavior". He scripts a LOT, & like Samuel, it sometimes distracts him from what he should be doing or working on. He also rocks or fidgets with his hands if he's nervous, stressed out or upset about something. I don't discourage him from doing these things - I recognize that this is how he copes. But I do try to get him to understand that sometimes, it's not the right time to be quoting his fav movie of the moment - that we're supposed to be working on homework, or paying attention to the Sunday sermon, etc.

And you know what? Just like the video pointed out, I stim too! I rock/sway back & forth when I'm nervous. Or I cross my legs & twitch my foot when things are busy/stressful at work. Why is it normal for me to do these things, but not acceptable for Jaden?

I don't pretend to understand autism fully & I know that there are sooooo many more things we're going to learn about Jaden's Asperger's. But I do know my son - and I know that regardless of how quirky he might appear to others, or how bizarre his coping techniques might be......I love him with all my heart & accept him for EVERYTHING that he is - beautifully & wonderfully made - a gift, a blessing...given to us by God! :0)

and for your viewing pleasure....some comic strip like drawings that my extremely artistic son made for me last night....you ought to click on them, to enlarge them - so you can check out his wonderful details (like his & the monster's eyes & facial expressions)

Jaden punching out a monster - then the monster learned his lesson & behaved ~teehee~
uh, oh - here's comes another one.....give him a karate kick!all he had to do was roar at the 2-headed monster & they started biting their fingernails, they were so scared!
this monster is his friend....they were chatting, when they heard a loud noise & were startled.....so jaden whipped out his telescope to see what was going on ;0)