Nearly three decades ago a baby was born with brain damage, caused by the negligence of the medical establishment. Rather than play a ‘blame game’ the mother of this now young adult decided to utilize her basic understanding of the human body and past life experiences of nurture, nature and acceptance in tandem with positive environments to enable the infant.
Through the course of their journey they encountered all kinds of experts who ‘knew’ best. Nowhere in the field of expertise were there such people able to determine that this young child could emerge into a healthy human being, drug free, physically and verbally capable with independence. By five years of age, this indeed was the case. By eight years of age, this child had a healthy, interactive and exposed life full of wonderful experiences.
He went to school, made friends, attended baseball, horseback riding, dance classes, yoga and tai chi classes, music and theatre. Birthdays, family traditional events such as camping, gave opportunity to be with friends, and be interactive in play!
His environment was one of nurture, respect, understanding and acceptance: a distant cry from the initial prognosis given to his mother of doom and gloom and the proposition of amounting to nothing [a mere vegetable was the proposed outcome].
In this, now, young man’s life, he has encountered and influenced many people, contributed to society and employed his peers. His journey, though filled with trepidations, traumatic impacts, challenges and perceived obstacles and the unknown has been nothing short of a remarkable journey to be celebrated on this his birthday of pure accomplishments.
The question one needs to ask oneself is ‘What would you do given such a prognosis?’ ‘How would you choose to perceive such a situation?’ This example demonstrates an ability to examine and critically think about how an individual can approach such a situation by asking ‘How would I like to be treated, what support do I think I would need and want if I found myself in this unique position.’
To learn more about what you can do to support such people in your community join your local volunteer group, Church, your business association and the various charities. Get involved and directly connect with you neighborhood and neighbors. If you have a similar story you would like to tell, please leave a message in the comment area below or email the writer via http://www.naturallyautistic.com
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