Miraculous or Naive?
Filed Under (Acceptance, Activism, Advocacy, Art, Autism and Intelligence, Autism and Learning, Autism and The Media, Communication, Development, Joy, Parenting, Politics, Writing) by Estee on 24-05-2010
It is said that one should write something that they would like to read. In those early autism years, as I was in that period of coalescing my arguments and thoughts about autism, I have enjoyed writing about Adam, motherhood, and our “journey.” There is a sense of therapy to writing and that can be beneficial for many people undergoing a similar situation. Writing can help us transcend the feeling that we are “all alone.” Yet I have the feeling after being a few years in this, that filtering autism down to miracles and gifts as well as horrors and tragedies has just become naïve. It’s time for all of us to up the ante (I am turning the finger towards myself here).
There is no new take these days on writing an autism and this in and of itself seems to me that either I’ve become over-saturated with the type of material, or I’ve simply reached a new parenting stage and where it takes me with writing here, I am not yet sure. I have tried to post a few interesting presentations on the blog the past couple of weeks. There are so many performances and exhibitions, and art is a segue to complex ideas often then used and analysed also by science as much as science can influence art. Of autistic performance and exhibition, please don’t label them as “miracles.”
I’m fatigued by references to miracles. Autistic achievement, as is discussed so often here on the blogs, is so often referenced as gifted or miraculous. There are no miracles. There is only what we wish to believe.
We’ve noted what a detriment to the autistic community such stereotyping can be. Even if it’s true that autistic thinking is different, and of benefit to our society in many ways, this is no reason to call it gifted or a “miracle.” When it comes to a play, or an autistic child typing, or a group of autistic children performing for an audience, I’m really taken aback at references to the achievements being “miracles.” However, if we are referring to all of us as being “miracles,” I sort of get that — I get that embrace of the miraculous state we call human. Miracles are a short-cut answer and resolution to that which is unresolvable. Try to tie it up with a convenient conclusion, and we will all fail.
Acceptance is as acceptance does, and in all likelihood, the name is too simple while embracing everything. “Simplicity embraces exactly the right details, the right difficulties, the right complexity,” but it also requires am effort in learning, observing, studying and yes, striving to argue well here in this contentious autism community. Acceptance is not simple. Autistic achievement is not a miracle, although it has been so unrecognized in human history that it is not surprising that we have labeled it as such. This is humanity we’re talking about. It’s messy, difficult, wonderful, full of frustration, anguish and yes, joyful.
And this may be the only miracle.
ESTÉE KLAR
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA
Writer/Curator/Founder of The Autism Acceptance Project. Lecturer on autism & the media, and parenting. Graduate student Critical Disability Studies, York University. I like to write about our journey, musings, attitudes towards autism.
Autistic people aren’t any more miraculous than any of us are…we’re all people, and all miraculous in our own way simply because we exist (although I do think that I did use the word *miracle* in relation to one of my children’s teacher a few weeks ago, because she accomplished something that I’d never seen a teacher attempt before. When school boards do something new and positive, it IS a miracle).
There is a lot of good writing out there about autism right now, and you’re a part of it. It might not seem miraculous to you, but when my kids were diagnosed, I had exactly one person writing about autism that I could read…Donna Williams. Now, every day, I can read what you, Amanda, Kristina, Kim, and too many more to count write. I’m not alone any more, and neither are my kids. Through AWN my girls have role models as well as outlets, and that sure didn’t exist not too long ago.
Autistic people are people. My kids are wonderful, but they’re no more ‘miraculous’ than any other children. Sometimes they’re brats- not because they’re autistic, but because that’s what kids do.
I say that we go less on the miracles and more on the understanding where autism is concerned. To me it is miraculous that I’m no longer isolated, but that’s a lot more about me than it is my kids. My kids are just people in their own right, and I am very thankful to know that they are not alone.
Great information! I’ve been looking for something like this for a while now. Thanks!
thank you for being realistic about autism.
I tend to think of autism in terms of areas of a brain that is underdeveloped in some areas (say, the auditory – visual neural pathways needed to make eye contact) and not others. For many children, a change in diet, adding supplements or removing heavy metals allows the brain to heal, and participating in OT, speech, auditory training and other therapies stimulates the brain to grow new pathways. It seems like a miracle, when the children’s development suddenly moves forward, but there is science behind it for sure.