Labeling people according to their set of characteristics or behavior is such a tricky area. No one wants to be stereotyped and defined by one word, shackled to something when you are a multi-faceted person.
Yet, in the world of early intervention and consideration for getting help, having a label can actually give a child the very help they need. My son is very, very young for an autism diagnosis. It made so much sense and put us on the right path. I don't dispute it even with the progress he is making. Several evaluators told me that he would not receive immediate services without it.
Connor is so much more than a little boy labeled. He is intensely focused, he is comical and sweet, he is affectionate without reservation. He is a mother's delight at the dinner table-eating almost anything happily. He is a mess five minutes after a bath. He is a singer and a puzzle fan.
So, in our heart of hearts, we know he is so much more than the label he will probably carry for a very long time. Yet, this very label was a gateway to meeting all of the wonderful people who have joined our lives to bring Connor back in our direction. So, sometimes it isn't the worst thing in the world to have a label.
4 comments:
Well said... I suppose in one way autistic is only a label if you allow it to become one, if you allow it to define who Connor is. You just have to look at Connor's pictures to see how alive and loved he is and how your love and work and awareness is shifting the course of where his autism might have taken both him and you.
Yes labels do help in the begining. Now my son is much older i dont use it very much, as people make so many assumtions.
I agree...labels are sometimes a good thing. It certainly helped my son along the way.
Check out this little singer.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/02/mental-health-4.html
Maybe Connor can have a video?!
:-)
I never thought of being labeled in a positive way but you, as always, make perfect sense. It is one of the many things I respect about you. You see the positive, you always move forward.
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