Oughtism
Thank you for reading my books and the blog!
http://wendyannhasoughtism.blogspot.com/
Given the statistice that 1 in 150 children have some form of Autism, there is strong possibility that someone in your life has been diagnosed as a person whose behavior and relationship difficulties places them on the Autistic spectrum.
My birth was uneventful. I was a beautiful baby and I look normal but I have Asperger's Syndrome.
I "ought" to be like other people, but I'm not.
I didn't find this out until after the age of forty so I never struggled with a label presuming negative and limited expectations for growth and development.
I can't stress enough the importance of neutral emotional outlets for neuro-atypical people; making art and music -- scribbles and songs -- are valuable allies in handling the flood of emotions rarely channeled into close human relationships.
We do care. We do love. Despite the impressions we may give of being aloof and socially awkward.
I have good language and communication skills. This is why I am delighted to have written a series of books from the perspective of a child who is struggling with Asperger's Syndrome. Each Wendy Ann Has Oughtism book contains clues on alternative ways of relating to and caring for a neuro-atypical child.
I wrote this series because I believe, first of all, we should all see ourselves reflected in the world in which we live in. At time, children with Autistic behaviors cen be unpredictable, easily upset, and inappropriate aggressive and downright embarrassing so they tend to be hidden from the rest of the world. Secondly, speaking from my experience of living with Asperger's, I believe it's important to challenge current, conventional ideas about Autism.
Clearly, no one knows what causes Autism. Autistic behavior results from a complex structure of genetics, social expectations, parenting issues and environmental factors. I am going to suggest that in many respects, current ideas on both cause and treatment may be barking up the wrong tree.
Genetics linked to food intolerances and mood distorders need more research.
I appreciate elements in the Wendy Ann stories, therefore, may be considered controversial but there are obvious challenges to being an attuned parent to a passive or difficult infant in our fast-paced society. In each human life, there are critical developmental windows. If these windows of opportunity are not recognized, it is virtually impossible to recapture the developmental strides they open to. Presence and emotional authenticity is as essential as love in nurturing any child, and these characteristics are the pathways of feeling connection in neuro-atypical children. Not pity, condescension, anger, uber-control, or approval.
Each Wendy Ann story is based on the notion that revealing some of the perceptual implications of one personal struggle with "ought-ism" is a valuable endeavor.
It is my deepest wish that my stories will help many children, their parents and siblings, family systems and concerned and dedicated professionals open to greater understanding of what may be going on in the mind and heart of a neuro-atypical child.
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