***Warning***
-Please read the post before commenting…
-I love my son, but I hate what autism does to him. For more of my thoughts on this matter, please go here.
-I will unceremoniously delete any rude comments. Like Temple Grandin said (and I was there when she said it): being autistic is not an excuse for being rude.
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A couple of days ago my wife and I witnessed a conversation between our two boys. This does not happen very often, but when it does, magic ensues. We cherish those times.
Our older boy, Reynaldo, has autism. He is 17. Our youngest, Andy, is 13, taller than his older brother (and than his older sister, his mom, and his dad) neurotypical and with a quick wit. Because of that, even though they are both equally smart, Andy tends to “win” in normal conversation, just because his older brother needs more time to process information.
That did not happen the other day. They were discussing superheroes, and Andy was essentially saying that a superhero with no superpowers is no superhero. He was specifically talking about Hawkeye and The Black Widow, both from the Avengers. Reynaldo intervened. He said that Batman has no special powers, but he is smart and strong and cool and has a lot of gadgets… The conversation went on, and there was no clear winner!
(:-D)
My wife calls those clarity moments in Reynaldo “a break in the clouds”. Reynaldo has many of those. We don’t know what brings them. They are not related to any of his medications, or to any self-evident circumstance. They just happen randomly. Just like the break in the clouds that appears randomly in the sky. This, of course is an artifact of our perception and knowledge. We do not understand too much of how wind and humidity patterns create a break in the clouds, but there must be a scientific reason. Similarly, we do not know the physiological changes that allow for those clarity moments in our older son’s mind, but we love those moments nonetheless.
Wanna know why? Because at those times, they really see eye to eye, we can truly see how similar their minds really are…
And we love that in those moments, neither of them wins; they keep bickering, just like brothers were always meant to do since the beginning of time.
My three masterpieces and my wife… (:-D
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Pharmacology – Biology – Neuroscience – Science – Research – Planaria – Writing – Education – Autism
I have autism myself and I totally relate to this. Most of the time it seems like basic everyday things that come naturally to everyone else are mysteriously difficult for me but every once in a while I seem to break through and function at a neurotypical level. But unfortunately for me I always slide back again. In my younger years I always had hope that I had moved up to new level of function and would build upon that to move further forward, but sadly that never happened. This has been the case both intellectually and physically, improving in both have been a struggle. I am 58 years old and have learned to cherish those “break in the clouds” moments and enjoy the brief bask in the sunshine without further expectations.
Thanks for your comment. God bless!!!