978-1572305441

Teddy 113
broke across Melody’s face as she told me about her race with him
through the kitchen to the living room and how Teddy looked at her
one day in surprise and laughed at her silliness.
I know times of disappointment are inevitable for parents, that at
the end of the day, the outcome for their child may not be as good as
they had hoped for. But at least it is usually better than what they
feared. It is important to be optimistic without being foolish. What is
most essential is to persevere and to be determined to make sure that
your child is included in any environment that is suitable, even if that
environment has to be changed to accommodate the child. Quiet perseverance
and determination are the advocacy skills that any parent
needs, not to advocate for a cure—that is perhaps too much—but to advocate
for understanding and acceptance. In that way, change and improvement
occur over time. It may not come right away, but it will
come.
The triumphs of a child with ASD during development are just as
real and as impressive as the triumphs of any typical child. They are different
but no less magnificent for all that. To see those triumphs is no
easy matter. They are not obvious to the naked eye, particularly if one
takes the perspective of typical development as a yardstick. But if one
sees the world as the children with ASD do, if one takes the time to appreciate
their perspective, then the triumphs and the successes become
apparent and meaningful. It’s not where a child ends up that counts; it’s
where he or she has come from that is the true measure of a child’s courage
and fortitude. Justin, Jeremy, Tom, and all the other adults with
autism and ASD have the right to stand tall among their more typical
peers. And Melody and Sean are coming to see that as well as Teddy
grows up and gets better—and what more telling sign of that than when
he laughs at his mother for being silly?