Semantics

Autism Awareness Month will be over in just under a week. The large number of avatars, ribbons, and pictures proclaiming this to the world have given me quite a bit to think about. I don't know whether I'm concerned about an underlying meaning, or if it's just semantics, but I don't know exactly where I stand on the autism terminology.

For example, it's common for parents of kids who have Asperger's Syndrome to refer to their child as an Aspie. "These are my kids, Emma, Hannah, and Jake. Jake is my Aspie." This drives me nuts, even though I've said it myself a few times when talking to other AS parents. "Aspie," to me, sounds more like a breed of dog. Picture the Westminster Kennel Club, as you hear the announcer on the television: "Coming up after the break, we'll see more from the Scotties, the Shelties, and the Aspies." Drew isn't an Aspie. He has Asperger's, but that's not what he is. Kids with AS aren't some alien species.

The you come to the question of has autism versus is autistic. I flipflop on this, but I think in general I prefer to say that he has autism. Like the Aspie thing, Drew is many things, but autism doesn't define him. It drives me nuts to know that some people who are aware of his diagnosis look at him and just see an autistic child. He is so much more than that! Drew is funny, sweet, loves to wrestle with his brother, is a great big brother who loves to take care of Lily, a Lego maniac, Lego Star Wars expert, Harry Potter fan who can read the books over and over again for hours, helpful, likes to ride his bike, prefers quad skates to inlines, and could eat his weight in pink grapefruit Jelly Bellies. And oh yeah, he has autism too. Just saying that "he's autistic" leaves out so much of his personality, and he has plenty of personality. Preconceived ideas and stereotypes about the autism spectrum make me want to throttle someone. You know the saying, "If you've seen one, you've seen them all?" With ASD, if you've seen one...you've seen one. No two are alike. They are people, little kids, and the people who look at him and see a label are missing out on a great kid.

Last but not least, there's the whole puzzle piece thing. It's not a bad thing; it's kind of nice to have a symbol, a logo, that instantly identifies someone else who parents, or is affected by, an ASD child. On the other hand, my favorite shirt on Cafe Press is this one. Puzzle pieces are great and all that, but like the label, the symbol can obscure the real kids behind it. Drew doesn't need a cure, but he does need people to be aware of how he is different as well as how he's the same as any other ten-year-old boy. There's no puzzle to be solved, no miracle cure waiting around the corner.

I'm not going to touch the vaccine-autism thing with a ten-foot pole. I do have opinions, but Pandora's box will stay shut for now.

It's amazing to me that the more I read about Asperger's and autism, the more I learn, and the more I learn about Andrew, the more I realize I still have to learn.