In all amusement and reality...a link

So far so good. Keeping up with Autism Awareness month and my goal to post autism related or Liam related or just reality related to a household with an individual with autism hasn't been too hard. Though we're still in the early days oh well.

Today though? I HAD to post this. One of my friends (who I'm too lazy link because my reader won't come up and you know that I don't have anything saved anywhere by there) posted the following link on her facebook and it cracked me up. And made me think.

institute for the study of the neurotypical

My favorite part? the neurotypical screening test

It is humorous but it's also thought provoking. I'm not one to believe autism needs to be cured. I'm not one to think there's something WRONG with people with autism. Yes, I do have my son in therapies. Yes, I do have him on cod liver oil to help with his focus and language development. Yes, I do think communication is important. Yes, I do think his motor skills are important. Yes, I do think therapies are super helpful in teaching him to best be him.

The same way I think therapy is important for me to be the best me. Not the best me the rest of the world would want. I'll never be OCD clean my house, put out a full spread of food for someone dropping by, fake smile and big hug my way through everyone, and stop swearing woman. But I'll manage my anxiety, live in a healthy enough way, be kind to people, and kind to me, and figure out what makes me happy.

That's what I want for Liam. His speech therapist is OBSESSED with eye contact. I could give a shit. I think some level of eye contact is important so someone knows you are talking to THEM and not someone else or yourself.

Gah. This has me off topic and irritated and ready to take action I should've before. When we got Liam's (FABULOUS) trimester report his speech therapist was obsessed with eye contact...

OMG I just went off and wrote the craziest email to his teacher. That's a whole different topic for another day but I got all obsessed with the eye contact issue and had to rant off to her for advice.

Anyhow. I lost my train of thought. All I know is the lines between autism and neurotypical are WAY too thick and black and white and really should be grayed out. And we should ALL hang in gray land. Because there really IS such a thing as too much typical.

Don't worry I'm nowhere NEAR typical. lmao.

~M