A Few Words About Autism and Anger

I talked a little bit about this on Facebook yesterday so I apologize to those of you who follow me on both but I feel like I can elaborate a little more here than on Facebook. We are all devastated by the events that transpired Friday in Connecticut. Those of us who are educators, and parents, and have children with special needs are hit numerous times with the similarities between what unfolded for those children, those parents, those educators on that fatal day. As a teacher, I've already expressed on this blog how empathetic I feel for those noble educators who guarded their children, some of them to the last. As a parent, I feel overwhelmed and terrified at the consideration that this could happen to my children. As a parent of child who was once believed to be autistic, however, I have to also look at the implications that this event may have on children like mine, particularly concerning some of the labels that are being thrown around the media. Well meaning relatives, citizens of Newtown, even reporters, are talking about how it is possible that the killer was autistic. I don't know if anyone has purposely implied that those two words go together but, I assure you, THEY DO NOT. Nor do the words autism and mental illness. They are not synonyms. They cannot and should not be used interchangeably. If we begin to use them in the same context, the implications could be detrimental to an entire group of children who need our help, not our revocation. It is extremely important that those of us who understand this continue to speak out and correct people who are making assumptions or who are perpetrating stereotypes through ignorance, and by ignorance I mean literally "not understanding", not "stupidity". Ultimately, mental illness reform should be one of the results of this terrific tragedy. If we are to move in that direction, we must band together and ask ourselves, "What can I do to help this cause?" I am not sure exactly what I can do at this point but I am looking for ways that I can help. I hope this blog will help in some regard. If it helps one person to understand why they should never even imply that a person with autism is mentally ill or is capable of violence solely because they are autistic, then it has helped a little. I would like to do more. Suggestions are welcome! While I am hoping to clarify that autism does not make one violent in and of itself, neither am I implying that persons with autism don't get angry, can't be violent, never suffer from mental illness. Of course they, like anyone else, could potentially fall in to more than one categories. But autism by itself is not what made this man commit these crimes. Let's be very careful never to imply that it was autism that made him do this. If you hear someone do so, please correct them. If you are looking for more information about characteristics of autism, please visit: www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism That's my two cents. I would love to hear yours. Thank you for visiting and please feel free to leave a comment below.

Heartfelt Prayers for Families in Connecticut

I haven't left school yet. I felt like I needed to write this here. I was eating lunch when a colleague came in and asked if I had heard about what happened in Connecticut today. I hadn't but when she explained what had happened, I felt tears in my eyes and my stomach turned over. As a former kindergarten teacher, someone who works with kindergartners everyday, and the mother of a kindergartner, the horrific events that transpired this morning were almost unbearable. I cannot imagine what the families who lost loved ones today must be going through. My sincerest prayers for strength, courage, and healing are sent to them this evening as I hug my kindergartner a little tighter. As educators, we seldom ponder the possibilities of putting ourselves in harms way at work. But it happens much too frequently these days that teachers are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice for their students. I actually started to type "children" instead of "students" because that's how most of us view them. These are my children, everyday from 7:15-3:45. They are my responsibility. If I was in a similar situation, I would hope that I would have the courage to protect these little people even if it meant sacrificing everything. God bless those teachers who did just that today. If you have children, hold them even more tonight. If you know an educator, send him or her a little message and let them know you appreciate what they do for our children. If you are a teacher yourself, as many of my friends and followers are, I thank you so much for giving of your hearts and souls each day to make our world a better place. We will never be able to understand what happened today but I hope that educators, parents, and law enforcement can work together to prevent it from ever happening again.