They say that if you know one person with Autism, you know ONE person with Autism.

The reason the National Autism Association uses a puzzle piece as their logo is that every single person with Autism is unique.

They cannot be confined to a “typical case” description. Each has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. The main difference between them and a neurotypical person is that those strengths may be amazingly strong and their weaknesses may also. The discrepancy between the two is usual quite marked.

They are a puzzle.

There is no doubting that each ASD person sees the world with a different view that most of us do. I only know my ONE son well enough to explain what I mean, but I think it will apply.

D1 sees every detail that makes up a situation.

In a crowded room, he sees every person, every surface, every item. He hears every conversation, every sound. He knows what is happening around him at all times, as long as he doesn’t have headphones in. He cannot tune anything out.

This is a burden and a blessing. He sees the world and all of it’s intricate details in a way that I don’t think I ever could short of dissecting things and examining them under a microscope.

He doesn’t just see a tv remote, he sees and is fully aware of the buttons, the motherboard, the wires and connections and batteries and knows where they all fit together. He sees a sunflower and also sees every single tiny flower that makes up the head of that gorgeous thing.

Just image that?! Imagine noticing EVERYTHING. Every detail of a thing. It’s amazing.

Recommended Resource for parenting a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder:

Share with me what it is that makes YOUR spectrum kid unique? How does your child’s view of life color yours?

Back to 31 Days of Homeschooling on the Spectrum landing page.