Temple Grandin, a prominent animal rights activist that Kate first told me about also has autism. Shes the professor of Animal Science at Colorado University. Grandin talks about how if you eliminate people on the Autism Spectrum in today’s world you would eliminate many of the brilliant minds in Silicon Valley, and other historically important scientisits that invented important things in the world today such as light bulbs, power plants and much more.
How do you see Autism as a gift to you?
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I think you phrased it better than CNN–Dr. Grandin sees her autism as a gift to her.
I’m a parent (NT) to an autistic kid. I’d say that my kid, autistic or no, is a gift to me.
autism is a gift to me… and i am a gift to myself first, before being a gift to others…
“I’d say that my kid, autistic or no, is a gift to me.”
“and i am a gift to myself first, before being a gift to others…”
Right on! People matter more than their disabilities!
Besides, if disabilities were gifts then people who disable others (like when a gangster gives a bystander paralysis with a stray bullet to the spine) would deserve thanks and rewards for it instead of the blame and penalties they do deserve.
I see parts of Autism as a gift. My oldest sons creativity, for example. But when I see my neighbors 4 year old son talk to her, and my 4 year old son doesn’t, it doesn’t feel like a gift to me.
Is it fair to say that there are parts of Autism that I love, and parts I could do without?
Every blessing comes with a burden.
very apt comment… to me, a gift is not perfection, a gift comes with attached pain, sacrifice and a lot of effort – so yes, there are parts of autism that i myself could do without… but then again, that goes for everything under the sun doesn’t it? … some gifts come with a lot of pain – i think about what temple grandin’s mom went thru and i wonder if i could ever have done that with such strength and conviction?… there were no guarantees how temple grandin would turn out in the end yet, somehow her mom never gave up… and now she is a powerful positive contribution to the autistic world and not just that but also to the world at large for the research she has done…
“to me, a gift is not perfection, a gift comes with attached pain, sacrifice and a lot of effort”
Birthdays and Christmas/Hannukah/etc. at your place sound scary…
yeah sure is, wouldn’t invite the shallow hearted and easily scared indeed.
How about the deeply unsuperficial and easily scared?
who doesn’t understand the context of my expression of a gift? oui, mais oui… never thought of that category… how deeply doth that question resound… warrants deeply unsuperficial thought indeed… we live and learn each the myriad wonders of life…