Comments on: The Dawn of Neurodiversity

By: Allison

Allison — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:04:41 +0000

Very thought provoking. I think we humans are evolving in response to our environment. It would be rather a narrow point of view to think that Amanda wasn’t relating to her environment in a meaningful way. She is hearing and seeing something different that most of us, but that doesn’t mean we have the ‘right’ relationship and she has the ‘abnormal’.

Thanks for the great food for thought.

By: Julie

Julie — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:43:46 +0000

Brilliant. Thank you.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:54:15 +0000

Pru:

We have no idea whether your ruminations ultimately will prove to have some validity, but they seem beside the point when considering that the most important things about trying to understand and deal with children who enter life as your son did are in the here and now—as cogently conveyed in your reply to Conz.

By: Donna

Donna — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:22:13 +0000

You are such a wonderful gift to us all Pru. I do believe that our kids are part of our human evolution. I know, that right now, each of our kids at the very least has created paradigm shifts for many people who had narrow views about ASD. So, no more leading violent revolutions…let’s lead evolutions!

By: Cathy

Cathy — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:08:55 +0000

Your dedication as a mother of a special needs child and a lifelong learner have coalesced to form a wonderful and important mesh of curiosity and need. You deserve big kudos for going back to school in your fifties girl!

Seeing the Amanda Baggs’ video made me watch more of them. To be able to see her communicate in a language that we “normal” people can understand is just mind-blowing. I’m also reminded of the fascinating stories of the patients of neurosurgeon Oliver Sacks and how twists of fate can change one’s reality in a mere moment. Who is to say what “language” to communicate in or which “reality” to live? Thanks for opening hearts and minds to a broader definition of diversity.

By: carine

carine — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:44:27 +0000

With your words, you brilliantly nudge us to rethink the way we look at those who are different, not necessarily less better, than ourselves. Thank you, Pru!

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:41:15 +0000

Pru…fascinating/illuminating..you know, i sorta dissed Jenny McCarthy for her fairly similar viewpoint (not having read her book but from quick perusal of her website) and now i have to hear what she has said differently thanks to your explanation…the video is radical…i guess i am inherently ‘prejudiced’ because i do not have the skill to hear a person like AM…y’know,i have a friend who is not obviously autistic (but may very well be on the spectrum) who has such an interesting mind and such profound creativity…she is a brilliant performance artist (and quite a success in europe…not so much here…duh) and for years played Bread Woman…her music is so wild…made up languages, non-traditional instruments, etc…anna homler (she may have a web site) but because she has english language skills she is not perceived as a freak but as a really interesting artist…so it is a fine line..seeing Casey’s work at the show the other nite was also like a crack in the cosmic egg…his talent in capturing something essential about his subjects…separate from his drawing skill is…is what makes an artist IMHO…that even Xavier appreciated it (my kids are not so high up the sensitivity ladder) was a nice surprise…i need to work on my ability to hear/sense more..thanks for opening my eyes (and ultimately, heart)…i realize more and more how literal and linear i am and need to shake that up…