As I considered possible themes for the blog this weekend, the possibilities were mainly trending towards a diet specific themes this week until I went to church this morning. Our pastor hit the nail on the head! Before I get into specific diet topics I want to take a moment and encourage the parents of individuals with autism or any other disability for that matter. As both a professional and a parent I have found that when "the experts" give you a diagnosis for your child they generally try to describe how that diagnosis is going to affect the child by giving a list (sometimes a very long list) of things this child will not be able to do.
I find the can't/won't do list to be very annoying. Let's make something clear. Whether you are talking to a doctor, a teacher, or what every kind of professional is working with your child they DO NOT have a crystal ball hiding in their office they are consulting that will tell them exactly what your child will or will not be able to do. I've heard the argument, we (the professionals) should not give the family false hope, so let me just ask a question. If those same professionals were to receive the same diagnosis wouldn't it make the process of raising and caring for that individual much more pleasant for all concerned if the family was more concentrated on working on possible positive goals rather than shooting down those goals before they even get started on it?
My feeling has been whatever goal the individual or the parents is willing to pursue should be encouraged. Maybe the final goal is not realistic, but if it's an interest it is possible for the individual or family to make progress towards that goal, so maybe the true goal is to get that individual as close to their goal as they possibly can. Even if they fall short following their dreams have given something positive for everyone to work towards, so take a moment and encourage a family affected by autism or any other disability.
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