Originally posted: April 8, 2014
When parents' children are first diagnosed, they turn everywhere possible for information to help them understand autism. Their first exposure is likely to come from the professional who did the diagnosis, the next from Google (and therefore Autism Speaks), and subsequent information often comes from books and other parents of autistic children. But there's one critical group that gets completely eclipsed here: autistic adults.
It is ironic, because who better to help you understand your autistic child than an adult who is autistic themselves? And, yet, that is the exact same group whose advice and opinions are not only the least publicized, but often also the least valued.
Today I encourage you to learn from autistic adults and what they have to say. Even if you don't know someone in person, there are many resources online to help make this possible. This miniature blog library collects the thoughts of autistic people on a variety of topics, from stimming to meltdowns.
http://outrunningthestorm.wordpress.com/want-to-know-more-about-autism-ask-an-someone-who-is-autistic/
Better yet, I highly recommend visiting WrongPlanet, the online discussion forum for autistic people and those who care about them. There you can make an account and (respectfully) post questions you have about autism, and get rapid insights directly from autistic people themselves. If you're not comfortable with that, you could try simply reading through the discussion forums. Even that gives a huge insight into the competence of autistic people and their thoughts.
http://www.wrongplanet.net/forums.html
-Creigh
When parents' children are first diagnosed, they turn everywhere possible for information to help them understand autism. Their first exposure is likely to come from the professional who did the diagnosis, the next from Google (and therefore Autism Speaks), and subsequent information often comes from books and other parents of autistic children. But there's one critical group that gets completely eclipsed here: autistic adults.
It is ironic, because who better to help you understand your autistic child than an adult who is autistic themselves? And, yet, that is the exact same group whose advice and opinions are not only the least publicized, but often also the least valued.
Today I encourage you to learn from autistic adults and what they have to say. Even if you don't know someone in person, there are many resources online to help make this possible. This miniature blog library collects the thoughts of autistic people on a variety of topics, from stimming to meltdowns.
http://outrunningthestorm.wordpress.com/want-to-know-more-about-autism-ask-an-someone-who-is-autistic/
Better yet, I highly recommend visiting WrongPlanet, the online discussion forum for autistic people and those who care about them. There you can make an account and (respectfully) post questions you have about autism, and get rapid insights directly from autistic people themselves. If you're not comfortable with that, you could try simply reading through the discussion forums. Even that gives a huge insight into the competence of autistic people and their thoughts.
http://www.wrongplanet.net/forums.html
-Creigh
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