I think every writer has touch stones in their lives--you know, the wounds that are still tender after years. It's really funny but those scars are a huge part of what make us unique and what can give our words a powerful message.
No one likes revisiting painful moments in his or her life. But I think one of the aspects of those scars is to help us grow. Two things can happen with those difficult times. We can never look back and remain as we were right after the painful time. Or we can look at the tough things and try to fashion something positive from them.
I have a daughter on the autism spectrum, and I could say, how awful it is, and how frustrated I get, but the simple fact of the matter is that I have a daughter I love--autism and all. What I can with this is use what I feel in words and reach out to people who may not be at such a stable place. Or I can choose to educate people who don't understand what autism is and what it does to the family. I mean, considering there are people like Dennis Leary spouting that this is basically a disorder to mask low intelligence levels in children, I'm thinking, enlightenment is definitely something worthy of pursuing. And considering that a lot of Oklahoma politicians would rather families with autistic children leave the state instead of funding coverage for autism treatments, again, somebody has to be a voice of reason. Right now 1 out of 150 kids is born on the autism spectrum, and that statisic is only going to grow until we find out what is behind it. And if we don't figure out how to treat it, that shifting ratio is only going to mean trouble for everyone before long.
No, maybe I can't change the fact that Taylor has autism. I can use words to change the world she grows up in. I can use words to educate and empower others who face similiar difficulties. I can use words to make a difference in the lives of children like Taylor.
You know, I've always thought of people with Autism as special - they obviously see the world differently than the rest of us. I get tired of hearing how 'wrong' they are instead of what can be done to either help them reach their full potential or accept them as they are. Admittedly, I don't know much of the disorder (or whatever it's being labeled today), but I felt confident enough to make a character (a little girl) on the Autism spectrum and even included the frustration I'd heard from some parents about how people perceive their children as well as the difficulty of diagnosis in some cases and the prejudices in others. You would be surprised by some of the comments I'd recieved and not all them of them nice.
janiceI admire your ability to use your talents and experience to work through the mess we call life and hope you are able to improve the world with each story you tell.
05:26 PM CST