This is just too powerful not to share.
As a father of a child with autism, every single day I look at my son and wonder about what’s happening inside that little head of his. I wonder what he’s thinking, what he sees, and how he’s processing everything happening around him. Yet most every day, the many questions I have are answered with silence.
Fortunately, though, there are glimpses; views into a world we simply don’t or can’t understand. In many ways Matt lives in silence, but make no mistake about it, he finds ways to make his voice heard. He may not always tell you he’s as smart as any other 4-year old, but he’ll certainly show you. If he’s unable to ask for something, he doesn’t have any qualms doing it himself.
His mind is sharp. His ways to prove it are different. That’s why we – as parents, adults, friends, his twin brother, etc. – need to better understand how Matt views the world around him. Otherwise, we may fail to work with his strengths allowing the gap that separates him from the rest of us to widen.
This is why I simply had to pass along the following video: “Experience Autism Through Carly’s Eyes”. It’s a short clip of one girl’s struggles with autism. In just two-minutes, we see a typical girl with typical thoughts (and as I found out later above average intelligence), struggle to communicate a simple need. The video does a great job of showing how a normal, maybe even mundane, experience can quickly spin out of control.
After watching that video, I had a hard time holding in the tears. And though it didn’t necessarily answer the questions I have about young Matt, I think it did open my eyes to better ways to search for the answers.
According to her website, Carly’s Cafe, Carly currently attends a mainstream high school in Canada and is enrolled in gifted classes.
Gifted classes. Perhaps that answers one of my questions about young Matt after all.
