Neurodiversity

[Semantics]

Originally Posted by violaine

not so crazy about how she responded to question asked of her by terry gross on npr- "do you think over time you become less autistic?"

temple said she was becoming "closer to 'normal' "

bah.

I was just listening to that interview.

John Elder Robinson said something similar in Look me in the Eye. He explained that he didn't learn how to express emotion until he was in his forties. Robinson actually mentions Temple Grandin in his book, saying that she experienced a similar evolution.

My oldest (16) is in intensive social training and one of the things he studies is understanding body language and facial expressions. If it works and he can eventually do this, I imagine that he will feel differently and closer to "normal", as Grandin and Robinson mentioned.


I know that it can be annoying to hear people talk about being normal (and I have to say it does make me a little, too). It implies that anything other than typical is wrong or bad, but I've tried to adjust my thinking about it. My children are unique and I love them as they are, and I don't have them in therapies because I expect them to be "fixed" -but because if it helps them live an easier life by having the ability to understand other people, and appropriate social behavior, I'm all for it.