“Raw thoughts are like savory understandings of yummy foods.” ~ Emma 03/02/14
Sometimes when Emma and I are working she will write something that I simply cannot follow in real-time. It is only after multiple readings and many hours of pondering have passed that I can begin to make sense of certain sentences. As Emma constructs a sentence to reflect her thoughts by pointing to the letters she wants on the letter board, my mind is working on another level. I am transcribing as she points, so I’m concentrating hard on remembering the letters and figuring out when I can pause to write those letters down.
Will the pause create a disconnect? Will it break her concentration? How much will I be able to remember before I have to stop her to write the letters she’s chosen down? Sometimes she’ll point to “I” then “a” and then “y” and I’ll have to stop and show her the letters and say, do you need to change any of these letters? Sometimes she will erase all the letters, insert a letter between two others, but other times she’ll erase just the last letter and continue. Sometimes she will say aloud, “No, keep letters” and we will proceed. Often she will then write something so astonishing I cannot contain the surge of emotions that rush forward.
During all of this, Emma may twirl her string, laugh, say unrelated words, or look at the timer and comment about how much time is left. Sometimes writing one sentence might take 45 minutes. Sometimes that one sentence will remain unfinished and when we come back to it, she will simply say, “no” and we will move on to something else. Sometimes the words are so seemingly unrelated I have to resist the urge to ask for clarification mid sentence. Sometimes she will write something I cannot understand, but the next day will re-read it and think – my gosh, that’s brilliant!
“Raw thoughts are like savory understandings of yummy foods.”
Seemingly disparate senses woven together to create a canvas of rich and varied depth and colors has me in awe. We talk about autism and autistic people as having sensory integration issues, but I look at a sentence like this one and I question whether the sensory integration issues are mine rather than hers. Emma has a wonderful command of the English language, she is able to express her senses in complex, creative and layered ways. I am compelled to read and reread her words. I savor them, exactly as the sentence states so matter-of-factly. Her words… painstaking… one letter at a time, convey truth.
Truth
Emma's Hope Book 
I love that sentence, “Raw thoughts are like savory understandings of yummy foods.” I find it so evocative of how thoughts can produce sensations and emotions without the involvement of language.
Right and then she is able to take those sensations and emotions and put words to it all… that’s such a gift!
Absolutely! A most precious gift. To synthesize such richness of meaning with so few words is a rare talent. Her seamless blending of multiple senses — images, sounds, tastes — is awe-inspiring.
((Alex))
Emma is a Zen Master. I sometimes struggle to understand her insights and then it hits me like a bomb.
Yup, me too!
““Raw thoughts are like savory understandings of yummy foods.”
…. disparate senses woven together to create a canvas of rich and varied depth and colors …. . We talk about autism and autistic people as having sensory integration issues, but I look at a sentence like this one and I question …. .”
Sense feeds cognition feeds expression yields self-realisation. Autistic sense remains true to itself, and all else autistic follows. Autistic sensory integrating is singular and distinctive: naturally proceeds synaesthetically; and bends language configured for social and societal purpose, to autistic ends.
That Emma’s personal integrative strength can withstand the force-field of conventionalisation and normalisation, distinguishes her.
Colin, I just love reading your comments. Thank you for taking the time to write this. If fills me with such happiness.
Oh… the beauty of this…
Emma’s words and yours, and the intertwining of both: they mirror your support of her expression here and beyond… and steal my breath away…
(((Leah)))
Love it. It sounds like Emma may be a budding poet. it has been Over 20 years since Kim learned to type, and I still find myself awed and amazed at things she says and the way she says them
We always struggle to keep up…remember thinking our kids were ” empty voids incapable of learning”? Oh the irony lmao
WOW! I say this every single time I read something Emma has written. She blows my mind.
Emma you are so beautiful outside and in never let society or anyone take that away!
Hugs (if you want)
-Kristin