When my daughter was diagnosed first with PDD-NOS and later with autism, I easily fell into the ~ I-completely-love-and-accept-my-daughter-but-I-do-not-accept-her-autism ~ mindset. At the time, this seemed perfectly logical and I didn’t think a great deal more about it. Autism was the “problem” after all, not her, and once we got rid of the autism, everything else would fall into place. When people said the word “acceptance” and “autism” in the same sentence I nodded my head yes, while my mind carefully separated autism from my daughter, plucked the word from the sentence and placed it into a box before closing the lid.
It took a very long time for me to understand that my daughter and autism were not to be separated. And it wasn’t until I began developing real friendships with Autistic adults that I stopped trying or wanting to separate the two. Acceptance is much more than tolerating something or saying – okay I won’t actively fight this any longer. Acceptance is an embrace, it’s understanding and actively celebrating difference, it’s about looking inward and asking questions. It’s about self-reflection and digging deep into the darkness of preconceived beliefs and being willing to be wrong. It’s about saying – I don’t know and I don’t understand, will you help me? It’s about being vulnerable and not “right” and it’s about the excitement of discovery and being curious and open to different ways of being and seeing the world. To me, it is the most exciting way to live life.
To say I’m grateful to all those people in my life whose neurology falls under the Autistic label, would be a vast understatement.
Today at 4PM eastern time, Brenda Rothman of Mama Be Good, Melody Latimer of AS Parenting and I will be speaking about Parenting Toward Acceptance. The webinar can be found at the following link – http://www.icdl.com.
In other news, I was more than a little surprised to see this – Top 10 Social HealthMakers
Emma's Hope Book 
Congrats on the well-deserved listing on Healthmakers! I am really looking forward to the Webinar, too! You are such a joy, Ariane, and I am so happy to call you friend ❤
Aw… Chou Chou, we are each speaking for about ten minutes and then there will be lots of time for interaction and questions from those who are listening! Sending you love.
Will be at work, but will be there in spirit. Have fun!
Ahhh… new job?!! I know you’re here/there/everywhere 😀
The day after I quit my job in December, I was asked to come work at a different Y, under different management. Work has been SO nice again. People with positive attitudes can make SUCH a difference! Close one door and another door will open, indeed, and this one has been such a nice door. 🙂
Wooowee! I am there now!! Wonderful!
I saw this just before i began speaking! Made me happy knowing you were there!
I am pleased! You were spectacular!!
❤
It was so wonderful to hear you speak, as well as Brenda and Melody! Great job, all!!
I loved seeing your name on the list of who was in the room! I found it very comforting!
I was in appointments all afternoon 😦
How was it?!!
It was fine, other than the fact that i forgot my mic was on and i said “oh shit!” because my phone kept ringing!
I wish I could have joined…was it recorded?
Yes, I will post the link when I get it, hopefully I’ll have it tomorrow!
Dear my friend,
I believe you deserve recognition for your support to many including me
Dearest Emma! I so love reading your posts and all the recognition you’re getting!!! It makes me so happy 🙂
#1!! That’s awesome!
Thanks so much Rye-Rye!
Ariane, everything you say above.
When you say, “To me, it is the most exciting way to live life”; it strikes me that if you/we come to experience the autistic that way, then in our parenting/supporting/embracing of autistically developing children we hold ourselves up as living-mirrors in which our children can see and experience themselves, as involved in the most exciting way to live.
Colin, what a wonderful way to say it. I love that and hadn’t thought of it this way, but yes!
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