Asperger’s: What does it look like?
According to WebMD: People with Asperger’s syndrome may not make eye contact when speaking with someone. They may have trouble using facial expressions and gestures, and understanding body language.
National Institutes of Health: problems with non-verbal communication, including the restricted use of gestures, limited or inappropriate facial expressions, or a peculiar, stiff gaze.
There is a perception that children with Autism have a flat affect and cannot express themselves verbally or socially. People see what they want to see. They look at the name. With a name they don’t look beyond the textbook definition of what’s in front of them. Most people need labels to define persons, places or things.
Look at the magic that dances behind my son’s eyes. That is childlike wonder and merriment. He is happy, joyful, goofy and creative.
He doesn’t fit under any one column or category. He strives to carve a place for himself and to BE him. That’s his goal. My goal is to help him do that.
My child has labels. He’s a geek, a nerd, a Pokemon fan, a Lego builder, a videogame master. He has Asperger’s Syndrome and ADHD. However, the label I use most and like best is he is my son.
Regardless of what he has, and any struggles that we face, once you get beyond all of the noise; there is that small quiet space that you created together when you were carrying your young. That space you retreat to when it is bed time and it’s that special moment for snuggles and silly jokes and hearing that little creature you made breathe. That’s what matters most.
That is love.
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Those photos capture his vibrancy. What a lively guy! Thanks to you and this blog, hopefully there will be less misconception about Aspergers.
Everyone of us has a label…..EVERYONE. Its up to us to believe those labels or to make our live’s our own
beautiful.
You are awesome. I wish my mom had been like you.
I was misdiagnosed.
It’s great that you love your son so much. He sounds like the younger version of my fiance in regards to the video game master. He is 27 with Asperger’s and he struggles to get by day-to-day. It’s difficult to understand his thought processes, but I love him no more, no less. People should never use labels to identify a person.
I think that people don’t realise just how wide the Autistic Spectrum is and all children on that spectrum have differing traits that mean that they are. And beyond that there is just the fact that every child with ASD is going to be different because they are different people with different personalities just like everyone else, but like you said, people get caught up with the labels. I’ve known several parents struggling to come to the terms with the fact that their child is on the Autistic Spectrum and the biggest thing I try to get across to them is that at the end of the day they are still them, they are still their son/daughter.