TAAProject's First Support Group

Last night, TAAProject hosted the first support group for non autistics, lead by four autistic adults -- all very different -- from Aspergers diagnosis to autism diagnosis. The group went so well that it wants to convene every two weeks instead of every month for two hours at a time. There is one thing I want to share that speaks to comments on "early intervention."

All of the members were recipients of many "treatments," and physical or verbal abuse from their parents, and general exclusion and misunderstanding by society at large. Michael Moon said one thing that was very important, I think. He was diagnosed with autism: "What was considered my weakness turned into my strengths. My love of playing with sand turned into photography. My need to make noise turned into playing music. My need to move turned into dance." To see for yourself, check out the gallery at The Autism Acceptance Project website (www.taaproject.com) or link at the left side bar.

An overwhelming response from all autistic members of the group noted how important it is to focus on strengths -- that constant focusing on "appropriateness" is so damaging to self-esteem.

As the years pass, it becomes less difficult to break away from the limiting boxes that many interventionists put us and our kids into. Instead, the people who work with us are learning about the importance of following Adam's lead and respecting him. Adam works everyday, but we don't focus on the negative or what he isn't. We focus on what he is. And you know what, we are beginning to fly at a rate that we never did before. I believe that there is room for working with autistic kids for sure, but in a way that we do not typically think about which is valuing our kids and the way they learn.