Thank you for this. ♥️ I think this is how my own autism showed up. Thankfully when my now 6-year old started showing signs of hyperlexia (even more hypernumeracy), I immediately came across the autism link when looking online. It was a shock at first because I’m a mental health professional and he didn’t show any of the signs I’d been taught to look for with autism. I’ve had to advocate so hard for him and I worry so much about how things will progress as he gets older. He’s in kindergarten now and special ed is already saying how great he’s doing. I worry that will translate into them taking away the supports we’ve fought so hard for. Thank you again for this important article 💗
The part about being “too much” when simply reading and receiving a sticker, is where institutions operate from. This piece of writing truly spoke to me, and I find myself nodding and shaking my head in every section. Nodding at the need for specialist support, and shaking my head when children are brushed off with a gold star and an unregulated nervous system. Thank you for sharing this, your voice is truly powerful and so so needed.
Samia, the last sentence is everything. We do need to stop measuring children on how easy they are to manage and always believe when parents reach out.
Thank you for this. ♥️ I think this is how my own autism showed up. Thankfully when my now 6-year old started showing signs of hyperlexia (even more hypernumeracy), I immediately came across the autism link when looking online. It was a shock at first because I’m a mental health professional and he didn’t show any of the signs I’d been taught to look for with autism. I’ve had to advocate so hard for him and I worry so much about how things will progress as he gets older. He’s in kindergarten now and special ed is already saying how great he’s doing. I worry that will translate into them taking away the supports we’ve fought so hard for. Thank you again for this important article 💗
The part about being “too much” when simply reading and receiving a sticker, is where institutions operate from. This piece of writing truly spoke to me, and I find myself nodding and shaking my head in every section. Nodding at the need for specialist support, and shaking my head when children are brushed off with a gold star and an unregulated nervous system. Thank you for sharing this, your voice is truly powerful and so so needed.
Samia, the last sentence is everything. We do need to stop measuring children on how easy they are to manage and always believe when parents reach out.