Acceptance (was Recovery)

[Guest guest]

I accept myself for who I am, and I accept my son for who he is. Autism

comes with abilities and disabilities, strengths and weaknesses. It is a

" pervasive " developmental disorder--it affects everything. Take out the

autism, and you often create an entirely different child--one you or the

child may not like.

I am not saying this to parents who believe their child was injured

through allergies, vaccines, or had a later, more regressive autism. I am

talking to those who have had children who have been autistic since birth

and who may be genetically linked to autism (such as my son and myself).

Autism can be a cultural issue--autistic traits run in five generations

of my family.

BTW: My son was originally diagnosed with moderate to severe autism and

was almost completely non-verbal at age four. Yes, I do believe in doing

whatever he needs to help him communicate and achieve HIS dreams in

society, whether that be through dietary, medical, and therapeutic

interventions. I love my child, I love his autism, and, as an autistic

individual (I was like my son at his age), I value autism in general. I

am not looking for a miracle cure; likely, that would be forced on all

autistics if ever such a one was found. I want to be free to be myself,

and I want that for my son as well.