Ah, November. The month that always makes me renew my passion in writing because I force, coerce, volunteer myself to the age old (ok not really) tradition of NaNoBloMo, the slightly less prestigious writing challenge to NaNoWriMo (and we all know I'm not a novel writer). Bascially I'm committing to writing every day for a month. Yeah I said writing, not blogging, so some of what I write may stay personal, don't get offended.
Today is Autistics Speaking Day. Go ahead, click and read a little about what other people have to say. It's not a day for me to talk about how her autism affects me, or the family, but it's a day for her to talk about who she is and what SHE thinks about her autism.
Well, she's five, isn't completely verbal and can't write just yet. I can't speak for her, but I can tell you a little about who she seems to be, and what I hope this day is for her in the future.
Ruby is LOVE. She was a product of years of trying to concieve and from the moment we knew she was a possibility she filled everyone around her with hope and love. Ruby can hug you with so much love-force that you feel your heart may burst from the intensity. She'll say "mmmmmm kisses!" and plant one on you before you can get your lips pursed. When Ruby loves you, you never question it.
Ruby is FUNNY. Even on her toughest days, Ruby can draw a smile from the hardest hearts and can turn any moment into a fit of silliness. Ruby loves to laugh, to make you laugh and then to laugh some more. Nothing cures a rough afternoon like a fit of giggles.
Ruby SEES. I have yet to meet a kid with autism that isn't always absorbing things around them like a sponge, and Ruby is no different. She may take a little longer than others to show you what she's learning, but every day, all day she is seeing things that you and I don't see. Just today while we were sitting in the drive way pretending to drive the car, she looked up at the sky and said "oh look, there's the moon there!" and sure enough there was a lovely sliver of moon peeking out from behind a tree. Ruby sees spiders working their (creepy) magic in bushes, and birds high in the trees, she hears crickets and hellicopters that I would normally tune right out.
Ruby SINGS. Ruby loves music, and once she hears and loves something, she will sing along like there is no tomorrow. If she could carry a tune a little better, she could be a broadway star, because this girl can belt it out. She currently loves the soundtrack from Wicked and oh how I wish it were on DVD because she would love to watch the story. I don't think she could sit through a theater production, but if she could I'd take her in a heartbeat.
We're raising Ruby to be proud of who she is, every facet of who she is, including the fact that she has autism. Autism doesn't define who she is, but it's an integral part of how her brain and body function and how she relates to the world around her. We're doing everything we can to help her body and brain be as healthy as possible, including therapies to help her navigate the world around her. We also believe in helping the world around her learn to understand her and other people with autism. It's not about getting her to fit into the world, but creating a world where she can fit in easily being just who she is.
We're raising her to advocate for herself, but with the hope that over time, she won't need to. I'm not just interested in autism awareness, but the concept that we all need to learn to accept and embrace the differences in those around us.
So, go, read a little about what people with autism think about themselves, the world around them and open your mind to the unknown. You may just meet some pretty interesting people there.
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