The Rosie Project

Good morning everyone!

A few nights ago, my Dad came to me and showed me a poem written by a 10 year old autistic boy. Benjamin Giroux is in 5th Grade in New York City, and was given the task in class to write a poem that begins with the words "I am". The National Autism Association shared the poem on Facebook, and the boy's touching words have spread like wildfire across the world.

It left me a little choked up. We always see these videos "see the world through the eyes of someone with autism" or "here's what its like to have autism", but who is making these videos? I highly doubt that every single time someone with autism has come and said "yes, that is exactly how I feel all the time."

And when I see those videos I question whether or not that is what it is really like. And with good reason, it seems. I am currently reading a book called The Rosie Project, which I highly recommend. When I picked it up and bought it, I had absolutely no idea that it had anything to do with autism. I would highly recommend it to everyone anyway, not just if you know someone with autism. Graham Simision writes from the perspective of fictional Don Tillman, a professor at an elite university, and his seemingly unsolvable Wife Problem.

And it is some of Professor Tillman's words that really make me question the reliability of these videos. One of the first challenges Professor Tillman faces in the book is that he is asked to give a lecture on Asperger's Syndrome, a topic of which he knows little about (although, based on some of his personality traits, knowledgeable readers will quickly pick up that Professor Tillman is autistic himself).

Page 6, The Rosie Project: "Naturally, the books and research papers described the symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome, and I formed a provisional conclusion that most of these were simply variations in human brain function that had been inappropriately medicalised because they did not fit social norms - constructed social norms - that reflected the most common human configurations rather than the full range."

Asperger's syndrome and autism as a whole: basic variations in human brain function that simply do not fit constructed social norms.

Autistic children aren't the Martians that these videos make them out to be. They do not see flashing lights when they turn their heads or go into shock every 5 seconds when they hear so much as someone breathing. Some people, maybe. But not everyone.

I see these videos and think simply: Wow. I assume it isn’t the fault of the person sharing it, and I know that I could never put myself in the shoes of an autistic person and say that the videos don't depict my life, because I couldn't. I simply think that they take them just a little too far.

If we are going to say what it is like to have autism, we need to get it from a RELIABLE SOURCE. Someone with credibility. The most reliable being people who actually have autism. Shocker, I know. But it is true.

And the boy who wrote this poem has that credibility. And that is why I think this poem is what we should be sharing.

I will leave you today with a quote from The Rosie Project, which really, it seems to me, puts everything into perspective.

"Julie interrupted [Professor Tillman's lecture] again. 'So, for us non-geniuses, I think Professor Tillman is reminding us that Asperger's is something you're born with. It’s nobody's fault.'

I was horrified by the use of the word 'fault', with its negative connotations, especially as it was being employed by someone with authority. I abandoned my decision not to deviate from the genetic issues. The matter had doubtless been brewing in my subconscious, and the volume of my voice may have increased as a result. 'Fault! Asperger's isn't a fault. It’s a variant. It's potentially a major advantage. Asperger's syndrome is associated with organisation, focus, innovative thinking and rational detachment."

Love,

E.