Did you know this about autism? #3
In the March, 2009 issue of Glamour Magazine there is a story that stole my heart. “They’re Autistic ~ And They’re in Love” is the real life story of Lindsey Nebgeker and Dave Hamrick of Jackson, Mississippi. They were also featured on Good Morning America: ABCNEWS.com: Learning to Love on February 26.
Many don’t believe that people with high functioning autism and Asperger’s are capable of relationships. They don’t believe that people with an autism spectrum disorder want a relationship and most certainly not an intimate one. I guess they don’t believe they are capable of running their own lives let alone earning a living. Many skeptics are just that when it comes to people with autism.
It’s time to BELIEVE!
Jerry Newport is a well-known individual diagnosed with autism. He is a national speaker, author and a married man. Jerry and Mary were both diagnosed with autism when they were adults. They met, married, became estranged, and reunited. Just like Lindsey and Dave, in the Glamour story, Mary and Jerry continue on their venture to make sense of the world; to live in a world that tells them they are different every day of their lives. They want to be a part of what “normal” people do because they and their famlies believe they can.
What “normal” people do is not always normal either. What people with autism do to become normal is like climbing a mountain everyday. It takes courage, stamina, and sometimes ignoring what other people say and think. These are traits that many adults with autism have faced all their lives. They know the reality of feeling awkward in social situations and what it means to be rejected on many levels.
Shilo by Kathie Harrington
As the mother of a grown son with high functioning autism I have always instilled in my children that anything is possible if you believe in yourself. That doesn’t start, however, when you are an adult, that is instilled from birth regardless of a disability.
I have written a short story, “Shilo,” that will be published on line by The Wild Rose Press on May 8, 2009. This story is about two adults with autism who fall in love. They find harmony in a relationship that many thought could never be. They accept their disability. They find that valor and daring overcome their social awkwardness and they find that love can bloom in the middle of Iowa.
I invite you to read the fictional “Shilo,” and the non-fiction account of Lindsey and Dave. They’re just people, more normal than not, trying to make their way in the world; just like all of us are.
Tags: ASD, Autism, disability, Education, Parenting, Speech/Language Therapy
