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Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew
Ellen Notbohm
Top 10 Best Quotes
“Presuming that a nonspeaking child has nothing to say is like presuming that an adult without a car has nowhere to go.”
“The word “autistic” is accurate. But so are other words that we no longer use to describe people: spinster (unmarried woman), hobo (migrant worker), cripple (person with a physical handicap), and so on. The fact that a person is unmarried or has sustained a mobility-reducing injury or birth defect certainly figures into their life experiences, but it does not define their character—unless they or we let it.”
“If we can't start by seeing an autistic child as inherently capable, interesting, and valuable, no amount of education or therapy we layer on top is going to matter.”
“The child who lives with autism may look “normal,” but his behavior can be perplexing and downright unruly.”
“Think of it as affirmative brainwashing. The more you articulate your child’s strengths and gifts, the more both of you grow to believe it.”
“There is no shortcut to anyplace worth going.”
“There is no egg in egg plant, neither apple nor pine in pineapple. A guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth beeth? One goose, two geese. So one moose, two meese? If teachers taught, why haven’t preachers praught? We have noses that run and feet that smell. How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?”
“It demands that we give voice to their thoughts and feelings, even when their voices are nonverbal.”
“If you’re treading quicksand in the swamp of what-might- have-been, you can be sure that’s the message your child gets. You’re a rare person if being constantly reminded of your shortcomings spurs you to improve. For the rest of us, it’s a self-esteem squasher. Time to grab for that overhead vine and realize that only a pencil dot separates “bitter” and “better.”
“have become not just advocates, but emissaries. Being an autism parent today requires not only stamina, curiosity, creativity, patience, resilience, and diplomacy—but the courage to think expansively and to dream accordingly.”
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Book Keywords:
autism-awareness, special-needs, autistic-child, disability, autistic, autism, nonspeaking, disability-quotes, noverbal, parenting, inclusion, autism-spectrum, special-needs-children