Character Confession: Seriously Found Joy Through Autism
It’s Character Confession Saturday! It’s also World Autism Day, a day to spread awareness regarding people diagnosed with autism or are within the autism spectrum.
What makes me choose seriously as my confession is the ignorance I continue to run across when it comes to special needs. When I was growing up people didn’t understand special need situations and I was taught to avoid anyone who appeared or acted different. It’s not like that anymore and I’m so glad. I really regret that I didn’t understand or make an effort.
Someone with autism or any other diagnosis shouldn’t be treated as if they have a death sentence. People with autism have purpose and they should not be ignored, but embraced. The children I know with autism are the happiest, most loving children I could ever know. When I hear, and I have more than once, that children should be separated or treated different, I want to seriously knock some heads together. To do so means we lose out on wonderful opportunities to interact with amazing people.
The lesson I learned years ago came courtesy of our daughter. She was in a special needs situation for a season and I took her diagnosis hard. My prayer partner reminded me that perhaps her being in a special needs preschool has purpose and could be a ministry. Within days she was interacting with autistic peers who weren’t responding yet to teachers. In time she even friended a hearing impaired girl and they created their own sign language to communicate at age 4. I think back at what we all would have missed if I let my pride and worries get in the way.
One of the most happiest moments was watching a child with autism meet a Frosty the Snowman character backstage at our church play. He taught me that joy is a deep down feeling that transcends circumstances. If having autism or any other special need is supposed to be a gloom and doom thing, don’t tell that boy. He radiates joy 99% of the time.
If you’re not sure how to react around someone with autism, be aware. Visit Autism Speaks or watch NBC’s Parenthood Tuesday nights at 10EST. There is a beautiful storyline playing out with a child having Asperger’s, a form of autism. The writing on that show is so authentic and true to a special need situation and how others handle it I cry every single week. It is well done.
I hope this post makes you seriously consider autism and the beautiful people that live it out well every day.
