Friday 22 February 2008

Don't Call Anybody Dumb......

.......for it could betray your own dumbness!

dumbness for kind and appropriate words.....

or it could reveal your cowardice! the fear of people who are different......

"It is hard to be autistic because no one understands me. People look at me and assume I am dumb because I can't talk or I act differently than them. I think people get scared with things that look or seem different than them."

"It feels like my legs are on fire and a million ants are crawling up my arms".

and "When can I go out for a date?"! :-)

These are some of the words typed down on her laptop computer by a thirteen year old girl Carly Fleischman, challenged by autism.

Not long ago people would have assumed her to be mentally retarded and even professionals would have labeled her as moderately to severely cognitively impaired.

How little have we learned about the world around us?