Skip to main content

Article: Reflections on Being an Aspie Parent

I discovered this post via RSS today. It's probably the best post I've ever read on aspie parenting and it needs to be read.

Reflections on Being an Aspie Parent
http://www.aspergerjourneys.com/2009/03/16/reflections-on-being-an-aspie-parent/

So often, I find people asking on forums whether people with Aspergers should be able to have children. I hear questions about the worthiness of aspie traits in today's society and worst of all, I hear these questions coming from Aspies themselves.

In this particular article, Rachel talks about the strengths that she, as an aspie brings to parenting using real life examples. It's one of the most comprehensive and uplifting articles on Aspergers that I've read in a long time.

Well done Rachel!
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
Many thanks, Gavin!
March 17, 2009 at 12:15 PM
Angela said…
Thanks for sharing this, what a great post!
March 19, 2009 at 11:14 PM
Anonymous said…
Well I shall nip along and take a peek in that case.
Cheers
March 21, 2009 at 10:27 AM
Anonymous said…
You have made my day. I know I am reading this... "slightly" after the fact, but it just really hit home.

I have the most amazing partner in the world. She is totally accepting of the fact that I'm an aspie, and that sometimes I just can't do those little things. But she also has three kids, and primary custody. So I went from being a single twenty-one year old who had just become a veteran, to practically a step-parent overnight. I have some spectacular failures. (Like the 30-minute smackdown I received from the 7 year old, because I confused her). But I have some utterly amazing attaboys. (Like how she apologized for that on her own, because she understood that she had really hurt me and done something wrong.)
And my girlfriend has actually thanked me on multiple occasions for the traits that make me an aspie. To know that I'm not the only one... Thanks.
April 9, 2009 at 8:15 AM
Anonymous said…
Great post. G has never taken part in PE as he will not change in to a PE because of bullying and worrying about people seeing him getting changed.
April 18, 2009 at 9:30 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is Stimming and what does it feel like?

According to wikipedia , stimming is; "a jargon term for a particular form of stereotypy, a repetitive body movement (often done unconsciously) that self-stimulates one or more senses in a regulated manner. It is shorthand for self-stimulation, and a stereotypy is referred to as stimming under the hypothesis that it has a function related to sensory input." The wikipedia article then goes on to propose some theories about the function of stimming and how it is designed to provide nervous system arousal. The theory being that it helps autistic people "normalize". I'm not sure how much I believe that theory - I helps us relax and it feels good... but normalize?? Not sure. The most commonly cited form of stimming is body rocking. Such is the prevalence of this form of stimming in Hollywood films concerning autism that you could be forgiven for thinking that autistic people stim by rocking most of the time. How far does stimming go? Stimming is much more than just...
204 comments
Read more

Why do Aspies Suddenly Back Off in Relationships (Part 2)

In part one, we looked at the role that Change Resistance plays in causing aspies to suddenly go "cold" in otherwise good relationships. This time, I want to look at self esteem and depression; Self Esteem The aspie relationship with themselves is tedious at best. People with Asperger's commonly suffer from low self esteem. As discussed in earlier posts, this low self esteem often results from years of emotional turmoil resulting from their poor social skills. Aspies are often their own worst enemy. They can over analyze situations and responses in an effort to capture lost nonverbal communication. This often causes them to invent problems and to imagine replies. Everything made up by aspies will tend to be tainted with their own self image. This is one of reasons that people with Asperger's will sometimes decide that they are not good enough for their partner and that they must let them go. Sometimes, the aspie will develop a notion of chivalry or self-sacrific...
134 comments
Read more

Are Aspies Capable of Love?

Although the answer to this question may seem simple, it recurs with alarming regularity on aspie forums everywhere. Often, it is confused with the aspie's ability to find a partner or the famous aspie empathy problems - these are different things altogether which I'll hopefully discuss in follow-up posts. Emotional Behavior in Aspies Aspies are very capable of loving but they often confuse the issue by adopting an altogether too rigid view of love. Despite popular mis-belief, aspies are generally fairly emotional beings. We have intense feelings of happiness and even more intense feelings of sadness. The smallest triggers can produce huge emotional responses in us. While a bad day at work may make an NT grumpy, it could make an aspie feel suicidal. Similarly, when something good happens an aspie may seem to be over-reacting or overly happy. Most aspie adults have long since learned to control excessive displays of happiness but it's very apparent in aspie children...
386 comments
Read more