Words Matter (on “Disability”)

[jimhines]

My son’s IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting was last week. This was his second IEP, and I wasn’t able to make it to the meeting. So I came home and read through the paperwork, reviewing the plans and ideas for next year, when he’ll be in first grade.

Overall, his school has been wonderful. They confirmed our gut feeling about his autism

Comments

[beccastareyes]

As an adult on the autism spectrum, I'm the same way. I take notes or doodle* in class/meetings because it gives my hands something to do that either is directly related to what my brain is doing, or takes only a bit of processing power. I also get up and walk around the hall a lot while at my desk -- to the point where friends once nicknamed me 'squirrel' for being unable to sit still, especially when thinking deeply, and I developed a reputation for being a false alarm for folks' advisers (that is, at least two students told me my walking sounded like their advisers coming to check up on them. They didn't even have the same adviser, so go figure.).

(Looking back, I'm kind of amazed I could sit still in class -- then again, in high school and college, I had note taking and most of my non-lab classes were, at most, an hour-fifteen without breaks. Labs had me moving around to get supplies, and the one class I had that was double-length had a designated five minute 'go to the bathroom and get up and stretch' period because the professor didn't think any of us could sit through that much calculus without moving a bit.)

It occurs to me that this is probably one of the reasons AD(H)D is listed as a common mis-diagnosis for folks on the spectrum.

* Or crochet, if the meeting is sufficiently informal. One nice thing is that at least two other grad students do yarncrafts, so I don't feel so weird bringing out my socks.