Trayvon Martin and Autism

My heart is breaking for the Martin family right now. A 17 year old boy was gunned down by a man who was tired of "them always getting away".

Trayvon was black

The gunman was Hispanic

The gunman has not been arrested.

How can this be? How can a man shoot another person and not have to answer for his crime? Because Florida has a law called the "stand your ground" law that allows someone to shoot a person if they feel threatened.

But I am white. So I have never felt the fear that many black people live with on a daily basis.

Until I learned more about how this law could affect my child, my family, because my son has autism.

Let me paint a picture for you: my son (who should be about 6'4" tall when fully grown) is in the mall, and wants to go to the pet store. I say no, triggering an explosive emotional response. He raises his voice. Maybe he tries to pull away from me and run. A bystander feels threatened, and.shoots.my.child.

Now do you understand? After justice is found for Trayvon Martin, this law needs to be changed before justice must be found for your kid, or mine.

My Son and the Neighborhood

I don't think the worst thing that could happen to me is having a child with special needs. I think the worst thing would be to raise a child who is cruel to people with special needs." ~ Matthew Mickelson Butman

Just to get this out of the way-my oldest son (the Wii Monster) has been diagnosed with Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. What does all this look like? Well, to me and my family, he is a sparkling child, a real firecracker. He is *usually* sweet to his sister and cousins, and is always concerned with the safety of babies. He cries easily, hugs quickly, and thinks that Sonic the Hedgehog is second only to the Mario Brothers. He his smart as a whip, but loses his homework. All in all, a delightful kid.


We have been blessed to be surrounded by family and friends that are MORE than supportive. I really don't think its possible to have a more loving environment for him. 


But then he grew up a little. And started Kindergarten. And got neighbors his age. And mommy started getting worried. How would he do in an uninsulated environment. Should I tell the new friends or their parents about his diagnosis and explain THAT is why he is crying over "nothing"? 


I haven't even told him about his diagnosis. Should I start there? Is he too young?


And then we got to play with our neighbors, and with just a little input ("he is still only 5, he is still learning how to ride his scooter, etc")  we established a relationship with a few neighbor boys. Did I have to help out...yeah, a little bit. But those boys and girls were kind. And helpful. And patient. And I didn't even tell them that their new friend had "special needs". They accepted him like he is.

For the most part, the Wii Monster left his worried mommy behind in the driveway while he was racing his new friends on their scooters.


Just as any 5 year old should.

“Tis folly to be wise”

Reading through some comments on an article on CNN.com, my heart is hurting from what I have read. The story had to do with Autism awareness. The story was lovelyhttp://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/31/irpt.autism/index.html#cnnSTCTextand was such an uplifting read.

Until I get to the comments.

The comments ranged from mildly ignorant to plain offensive and even attacking parents who take their autistic children out of the home. Here was a gem: ” ‘But it’s still difficult to explain to others, Shumaker said, when Matthew comments at the supermarket that a person standing in front of them at the check-out line is too fat to buy ice cream. ‘

Maybe Matthew needs to not be at the grocery store, the problem in the situation shouldn’t be on the fat person who just wants to get his or her ice cream in peace. There is no sane reason to expect societal norms to radically shift because someone claims that their child is unable to behave properly and then forces that behavior on other people. Whether or not the behavior is caused by a physical condition is irrelevant, it’s merely rude to demand the world at large adjust to you.

Ok, I will keep my child home forever because when my child is an adult, YOU will deliver food to his front door and pay his bills for him or maybe hire him? Ohhhhhh you won’t? Then shut the #*(&$ up!

Another lovely sentiment: Any challenged person deserves consideration; but actions which are or are not acceptable to the community must also be considered. Autism is not a license to commit bizarre violent behavior.

No where did ANYONE say that violent behavior was ok.  I guess this opinion is permissible since you qualified and justified it by saying “challenged” people deserve consideration. Seriously? SERIOUSLY? Ok, the next time my child wants to sit and stare “bizarrely” at a spinning wheel, I will explain to him that a disability is no excuse to be bizarre.

Do you think I could tell that to someone with cerebral palsy? No?

I guess the burning crosses are now safely hidden behind your avatars. Take your hood off if you are going to make comments like that.