Autistic Kids are Not Weirdos

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about autisitc kids, and the most common one I know of is that all autistic kids are "weirdos."

I overheard a conversation at work the other day and it got me thinking. I heard two people talking about how "weird" this other person was and about how they thought he must "ride the short bus" and is "probably autistic or retarded." Rather than storm over to these people yelling "My son is AUTISTIC how DARE you!!!" It got me thinking...and remained calm...

"Is this what people say about Brody? People who do not know him...that he is a freak?"

If any of you know my family, you can tell that Brody is by far the most normal one out of all of us.

For example, we go out to breakfast. Destin must wear white shoes and "will only wear shirts from Target." It is 40 degrees outside and raining and Matt will insist on riding his motorcycle with his Rattleheads leather vest and a do-rag. I am so worried about how long the wait is for a table, that I hound the hostess..."how many more minutes? We need pancakes...oohh there is an open table!!! Do you have free coffee?" And where is the autistic child? Brody is chillin' on a bench with Lightning McQueen, babbling and smiling away. So...who is the weirdo in this picture?

All kids can be kinda weird...think of when you were 5...I bet you were really, really weird. I know I was.
I used to go weeks only eating peanut butter sandwiches. I also thought my baby dolls were REAL people. I would feed them and bathe them, even hold conversations with them for hours on end. Yes, I was a freak.

You are also talking to the mother of a non-autistic 6 year-old who spent Friday night explaining the differences between a sphere and a cylinder. Yes, Destin is weird. And what was Brody doing? He was watching Mickey's Christmas Carol and jumping on the couch. Sounds normal to me.

It is true that Brody has his quirks. He still taps his head when he gets upset or really excited. He still peels the cheese out of grilled cheese sanwiches (which sounds delicious actually) and he loves to be thrown in the air for HOURS. He also hates it when people cry in front of him. In fact, he starts balling when anyone in his presence cries.

But I think we are all weirdos in our own rite. We all have a freak flag. Some of us just wear it a little more proudly. And if Brody is a freak, well then I am an even bigger freak.

Now please excuse me while I color-coordinate my son's shoes and shirts, while listening to the Dr. Phil Show...again. Today.