I have a riddle for you...

If I have a witch spot (dark, round blemish on the iris of my eye) in my left eye does that alone make me a witch?
And if all witches are presumed evil, does that make me evil?
And if I am evil, does it mean that I will perpetrate evil on others?
So I have a witch spot in my eye, does that mean I will act like all others with the same mark?
Can I expect that I will be lumped in with all the other's who happen to be born with this blemish in their eye?

Here is a facebook post from a local personality that gives a good explanation of why we have some extra fears, to add to the stockpile of many others, for our dear, sweet Ry.

Steve Stucker: Sensitivity Warning! A wonderful young boy who is Autistic, was visiting us. We turned off TV coverage of the tragedy in CT, when it became visibly clear that he was upset...about what had happened, and the fact that they are making a big deal that the Murderer reportedly had Asperger's (which many relate to a form of Autism). This great young kid struggles mightily to "Fit In" at school, in sports... & even at church. He is repeatedly mocked, picked on, left out and mistreated. The adults are sometimes as mean & exclusionary as the kids! I can only imagine the fear & dread he faces, for what is to come his way now! This is a great time to talk to our kids (of all ages) & examine ourselves, about the critical importance of kindness and caring, and of not stereotyping ANY group based on the actions of one person.

 

If you remember, Ry's first grade teacher thought he was the way he is because we are a "non traditional" family. She thought he was the devil. He spent his first grade year in hell.....at the hands of a woman who was not only ignorant about kids with autism but also ignorant about anyone who was not a Christian (and I do not blame Christians for that, it was her personally). All four of the kids in her class were treated badly. We fought for the entire year to have him removed from the classroom. And then at the close of the year found out she wasn't even a licensed teacher but a student teacher who was left unsupervised.

 

And prior to that, his kindergarten year was not much better because he was warehoused with a group of very affected children who couldn't even manage basic movement and could not speak or hear. Clearly that school had no clue as to his special needs.

 

Last year was his breakthrough year with the school system and he finally got the break he deserved in the form of a first year special education teacher who rocks and made up for K and 1st grade in the first half of the school year and went on to be at mid 2nd grade standards by the end of the 2nd grade.

 

But that might change not only because of the reassignment of Asperger's on the Autism spectrum by our school system and the fact that his wonderful teacher is pregnant and won't be there after holiday break but also the backlash because of the horrendous killings by a person who may or may not have been affected by Asperger's in Connecticut.

 

Ignorance is not wasted on the stupid......it is spread by word of mouth daily and I have heard so many people say such stupid things about children with Autism. Like why are we wasting money on classes for these dumbies? Or worse, there is nothing wrong with these kids that a good whipping wouldn't cure, they need discipline.  That is how his "abuse" at the hands of those ignorant people was justified....he needed a firm hand. And the most unfair, never trust anyone who can't make eye contact with you, it means that they are sneaky, underhanded and something is wrong with them.

 

To a child with Asperger's as well as others on the Autism spectrum, it is physically painful, in a way you and I cannot comprehend to have to make eye contact. It was hard not to say to Ry, "look at me, when I talk to you" when he first got here because that was a learned notion I had. He has taught me well, we still do not make eye contact. We've taught him to look at the spot between the eyes of the person speaking. They will think he is making eye contact and he doesn't have to be uncomfortable. Even still his speech therapist insists that he look at her....little does she know about our little secret tool.

 

But how many other children don't have "street sweepers" as parents and grandparents....the ones who clear a path to just getting down the road? And why would anyone have their child diagnosed and labeled if it only means that they will be compared to someone who caused such a crime against human kind or be considered, defective? I don't know how some "journalists" sleep at night with the harm they do in their desire to be the first to tell the public something else, and something else and so on and so on................blech.

 

We continue to educate Ry on our own. You need to know we do not rely on his education by the school system alone. That, my lovelies would be idiotic on our part. As Magaly pointed out the other day in her post there is "US in Trust"......and who else can you trust really. It all comes down to doing for ourselves and making the magic happen in our own lives.

I sorrow for every child who was wronged. Every child who will be ill treated because of being lumped in with others in a group because of a journalists zeal. But mostly I sorrow for the multitude of people who believe what is said on the news, as though is was the whole truth. But how do you sway people's opinions once something is planted in their minds?

For us, it is to continue to send positive energy into the universe, to allow the good to shine, to share our own experiences with many, to try to educate some and hope that they share common sense with others and so on. What else is there for us to do? Endeavor to persevere.
 

Blessings of the season, Happy New Years and hope for tomorrow, Oma Linda