People often associate autism with such negativity and jump in with ignorance. When people ask me about Paisley and I tell them that she has autism, the range of responses is so vast. I tend to get sucked into that vortex of negativity and end up feeling hopeless and depressed just by reading other people's body language when they hear about it. The other day, I just got super tired of feeling this way and decided to write down as many positive qualities as I could about autism to help myself see a more balanced perspective and understanding. Visuals are handy like that. :) The more I wrote, the more I became aware of the fact that I believe the very qualities that people often find inhibiting or problematic with special needs are the very characteristics that God encourages us to have. I looked at that list and was like "Holy cow! Paisley could seriously be Jesus's best friend!" It was an eye-opening experience to say the least!! While I won't bore you with the whole list....I'll share a few of my favorites in hopes of enlightening you into Paisley's (and others') heart and opening a fresh perspective to what is often associated as such a negative disorder:
** Purity of heart-- I've mentioned this before, but what you see is what you get. There's no pretending for Paisley. She is as genuine as they come. Most autistic kiddos are. Matt 5:8 says "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God". (NLT) It's not uncommon for Pais to see the clouds or the sun and to just laugh and giggle and be filled with joy. Her face shines in simplicity of music, flowers, the wind blowing, just simple everyday beauty. I think she does see God in these moments.
** Nonconformity--The beginning of Romans 12:2 often comes to mind when I'm trying to remind myself that it's okay when Paisley does something a little unconventional. "Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (NIV) Paisley has no desire to transform herself to fit anyone's social mold. I feel like that's a quality that Jesus would definitely want on His team! What an asset!
** Childlike faith---"Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it" (NLT). Anyone who has ever been around a child with autism probably can see their innocence shine through. They're not interested in using people, ulterior motives, they don't care about power or financial gain. Their motives are pure and their intention is just to be happy and to love. Again, the simplicity that is required to have the faith of a child is often unattainable because the motivators of the world get in the way...unless you're not motivated by the world..which Paisley is not. It's kind of a gift! ;)
** These last few aren't necessarily qualities, but just characteristics I think about all the time. I have to remind myself that even though Paisley can't speak fluently now, it does not mean that she can't be close to God or that God does not talk to her. (Exodus 4:10-12 "But Moses pleaded with the Lord, 'Oh Lord, I'm not very good with words. I never have been, and I'm not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied and my words get tangled.' Then the Lord asked Moses, 'Who makes a person's mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.' " (NLT) Just wow!! It's hard for me to remember that while Paisley struggles with communication, she STILL is capable of getting her point across....sometimes in very strong ways. I often forget that. I think that many children with autism that don't communicate well are very good at expressing themselves in their own way....we're just too busy to slow down and take in their signs. Aside from that, Paisley also LOVES to sing and dance and clap (she's not great at the singing part...haha....but it's still a joyful noise to my ears!). She just does it randomly, but especially every time she feels happy. She honestly cannot contain it (which is one of the many reasons church is a struggle)! If I recall correctly, there was a famous king named David--the very bloodline of Jesus--that behaved similarly when he was happy (no inhibition of joy!). And of course, we can't leave out Noah's obsession with building an arc...he had a picture in his head and he wouldn't leave it alone until it was completed....if that doesn't sound like a characteristic of autism, I don't know what does!
Obviously, my point is NOT to say these famous faithful Biblical people were autistic in any way--I seriously doubt they even came close! My point is that sometimes we get so worked up over the many things that are "wrong" with autistic individuals, that we often forget to mention what they're doing right! I certainly don't mean to oversimplify the condition, either. The world of autism (or special needs in general!!) can be very debilitating, isolating, exhaustive, frustrating, and discouraging. The picture is not pretty a good part of the time. However, in my opinion, the good in Paisley (and others) far outweigh the bad, even on the worst of days. My sincerest hope in this journey is that maybe something I write or say will help spread an awareness that the nature of autism is not all bad....it's not something that we, as a society, should obliterate. Perhaps we should instead focus on strengthening the beauty it already possesses while whittling away the negative to reach their maximum potential for quality of life. So, remember, the next time you see an autistic kiddo having a meltdown in public, or making a quirky sound, or prattling on and on about lug nuts or whatnot, please remember the internal qualities, too. Those "covert" characteristics that you have to dig deeper to see, but are definitely evident.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye." --Antoine de Saint Exupery, The Little Prince
 |
| Happy 8th Birthday, Paisley! |
