| It has been such a joy
to watch your daughter's skills blossom over the
past two years. There have been so many times I
have been amazed at her gains in language, insight
and social pragmatics. I try to tell you about these
times, as they are all treasured moments ... but
recently she and I shared such a wonderful moment,
I thought I had better put it in writing to you.
We were having dinner last week and waiting for
our food to arrive. As we chatted, she asked me
how work was going. I told her about a little
boy I was testing and that he reminded me of her
when she was a preschooler. I explained that he
might have autism, and that I was nervous to talk
to his parents about it. I wondered if she had
any advice for me?
Realizing this was a tough question for any 9-year
old, I wasn't expecting much from her answer.
She thought about the situation and said "Don't
just tell them he has autism. Tell them some things
he might do, like have temper tantrums for no
reason." I thought this was a great answer,
and we talked about how frustrating those temper
tantrums can be. I thought that was the end of
the conversation, but your daughter went on: "Tell
them that they should go to see a good psychologist."
Yes, I agreed that was a smart idea. We continued
waiting for our dinner; and after thinking for
a little while longer, she said, "And tell
them not to be afraid."
With that said, I could feel tears coming to
my eyes. I told her that her advice was so good,
that I had better write it down word for word.
Wow. Your family has so much to be proud of--your
support, enthusiasm, risk-taking and love have
had such an impact on her and on all of us who
have the honor of being part of your lives. I'm
so happy to be part of "the team"!
Reprinted with permission from www.autism.org
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