My son is happy, we laugh together frequently. He has eye contact, he can look deep into our eyes when talking to us. My son can tell fantastic captivating stories, he has a great imagination and uses I to make guesses on how things work. He can cope with starting a new school year, a new term as long as he is prepared. My son has friends and plays with them, most games are of course Pokemon based but he can play with others, he loves company and is very sociable. This is what most people see of him.
When I mention he has ASD, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia most people say 'oh, just mildly', 'everybodies a little autistic', 'we are all on the autistic spectrum'.
I want to say no we aren't all on the autistic spectrum, it's not a spectrum of neurotypical to neurodiverse it's an autistic spectrum. If you are on it you meet the criteria for diagnosis, you have all the impairments needed for diagnosis, you have a life long disability.
I don't actually say anything, I don't have the emotional energy. I feel like a fraud, outwardly my son doesn't seem autistic to many just quirky and young for his age. I also feel like a fraud for not voicing my opinion and explaining how strict the criteria for diagnosis is. Yes, of source many people may have traits of ASD but that doesn't put them on the spectrum.
No comments:
Post a Comment