How Should We View Autism?

There’s an alien living in Ohio.

Well, not really, but the blogger at Reports from a Resident Alien calls herself…well, a “resident alien.” And she admits in her tagline that “(t)his ‘Earth’ place sure is weird.”

Reports from a Resident Alien is one of my favorite blogs. Chaotic Idealism (her user name) lives with autism and blogs about–in detailed and beautiful ways–what it’s like to be “different.” It gives a neuro-typical like me (again, her phrase…brilliant, don’t you think?) some insight into how her brain and how she herself functions.

Chaotic Idealism wrote a post recently on the social bias NTs like me have towards people like her. It’s an insightful piece, but the sentence that really stood out for me was:

Actually, autism is not a social disorder or a communication disorder; it’s a neurodevelopmental disorder that means a different cognitive style.

Viewing Autism Differently

This sentence reminded me of a post I wrote this summer stating that a disability is only a difference. Instead of focusing on what a person can’t do, it can help to realize that there are a lot of things they can do. They just have a different way of perceiving and/or processing the world around them.

What I like about Chaotic Idealism’s sentence above is that she admits and owns the fact that, yes, she DOES have a disability.

She also realizes that it’s not something that can, or even should, be “fixed.” Something wrong happened in how her brain developed that caused her to think and view the world differently than most people do. Having autism is something she has to live with. She has to figure out adaptations that will help her function and live amongst us neuro-typicals.

I don’t think this idea is anything you or I would disagree with. But I think it’s important to periodically be reminded to be aware of how we perceive our clients and their disorders.

And what better way than to hear–or read–about it from someone who actually has a disability.

Final Music Therapy Advocacy Articles

Unless you’re brand-new to the Music Therapy Maven (and if so, then WELCOME!), you know that January was devoted to music therapy advocacy. I am very happy and excited to report that 28 music therapy bloggers and podcasters published a total of 56 articles!

Several were published within the last week; here’s the final articles I invite you to explore and check out:

• Mundana Music Therapy also published an article on the “attitude of advocacy“
• The Eclectic Guitar did a 3-part series on a student advocacy project. Check out part 1, part 2, and part 3 right here.
• Soundscape Music Therapy talked about how potent presentations can be used to help advocate
• Beyond the Music shared ideas for making advocacy even easier.
• Involve Me Music, More with Music, Key Changes Music Therapy, Musical Gems, and All Things Healing shared Dena Register’s article on sharing your story to make a change
• Rhythmic Mind finished her two-part series on a new music therapist’s thoughts on advocacy
• Music Therapy Tween shared her views on advocacy
• Mundana Music Therapy and Music Therapy Source published Judy Simpson’s aritlce “You Want ME To Do Government Relations?”
• Songbird Music Therapy talked about everyday advocacy.

P.S. Guess what? This month, Music Therapy Maven celebrates turning two! Woo-hoo!!! As such, I’ll be rolling out a couple of cool “events,” so be sure to stay tuned 🙂

Tagged as: autism, differences, disabilities