A friend of mine online once told me and I quote " I raise my son believing there was nothing wrong with him: it is just the rest of the world."
This poem is entitled the Colours of Autism
I hate you when you call me names
I hate you when you look at me - blank face
I hate you when you mock at me
I hate you when you treat me as if I am not human.
Do you know that I can memorize
all the names of my family and relatives
all their birthdays and phone numbers
all the players and teams of any sports
all newspapers and schedules in the subways
And I know you don’t
Do you know that I can easily define patterns
in all the things that I see, I touch,
I hear I smell, I taste, and I dream
And I know you don’t
Do you know that I have a lot of great things in my mind
I can solve intricate mathematical equations
I can create worlds that you have not thought before
I can paint life like a magical innocent smile of a child
And I know you don’t
I want to talk to you,
but I was not given a chance
I want to tell you about the sky
but I startle when I talk
I want to tell you about duality
but I have trouble relating my mind
I want to play hide and seek
but I could not look into your eyes
I might flap my hand or walk on tiptoe
because these are my ways of telling you
Can we be normal and be friends?
But you set norms and rules
because you are many and we are not
Label us as a disorder or a disease
because we behave differently and you are not
Diagnose us by behaviors and observations
because you think you are smart and we are not
But I’m sorry to disagree, your theory is your opinion - not ours!
But when I hate you
It does not mean that I do not love you
It does not mean that I do not care about you
It does not mean that we can not be together
But simply because
You do not understand me.
This exceptional book, Celebrating the Gift of Being Alive, has the perfect thoughts and words for birthdays, graduations, engagements, marriages, and any life celebration or family tradition.
