[Faith-talk] Subject: Re: For Catholics with special needs, a

[Debby Phillips]

What a great explanation about autism!  I have really had questions about it, ever since we thought our grandaughter was autistic. After further testing the doctor that did the test said that she is not autistic but is developmentally disabled. She is about at a second grade level, though she is emotionally an adolescent with all the tears and moodiness. Poor girl and I feel sorry for her mom. She will be 12 soon.  Well better close for now.   Debby 

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 23, 2017, at 7:42 PM, Sandra Streeter via Faith-Talk <faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> A few things I forgot, when I attempted to address Ericka’s question about autism earlier. I would say that, not only does autism include the sensory overload issues you mentioned (sound, touch), but also, for some, to visual stimuli. If that were all, though, you would be considered to have just a sensory processing disorder. But, there is, in autism, a range of communication difficulties, from very mild as in myself, to so severe that the person is unable to engage with the world, because everything comes in so jumbled and fragmented, and to have to be on the “send” side of communication is just too hard. There are also difficulties, to one degree or another, in social areas—someone with mild AS may still not get certain kinds of humor or sarcasm, may talk incessantly on a pet topic area, etc., because they can’t figure out how else to engage. I had real problems there as a teen, but learned, as I grew older, to, for instance, ask more open-ended questions or paraphrase so that the other person could contribute to conversations. Also, for us AS folks, we tend to talk with more verbosity than needed—AS kids are often remarked upon as “little professors”, and I distinctly remember being made fun of in sixth grade: “Streeter’ why you gotta use such big words!” It’s just that my brain fits so nicely with those polysyllabic words (see, I just proved my own point), they are so efficient and compact to convey meaning!  I still sometimes am not sure where to take conversations, especially if, like me, the other is a bit introverted—not a problem if they’re an extrovert, ha, ha! There can be physical manifestations where, if someone’s feeling overloaded, they start rocking back and forth (I only do that when I’m alone), arranging stuff compulsively in certain orders, or flapping their hands in front of their faces, turning lights repeatedly on and off, spinning stuff or spinning  themselves  compulsively—anything to try to press the neurological reset button. So, that’s the Reader’s Digest summation of autism. Hope I covered everything, Ericka, and feel free, anyone, to ask for further elaboration.
> 
> 
> Sandra
> 
> Not “Revelation” – tis – that waits
> But our unfurnished eyes –
> (Emily Dickinson)
> 
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