Inagural Post

I've decided to join the blogger fad. In part it will be a welcome creative outlet - prior to having children 5 years ago, journal writing was a solace for me. It seems to have slipped, along with other creative pursuits I would follow - surfing, painting, playing my harp...
The more important impetus to blog is about working through my feelings and experiences in having Ethan, who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder about 2 years ago.
My blog is titled "An Insider's Perspective" because it harks back to my honours thesis, similarly titled, that I completed in 2000. My research was an exploration of attitudes surrounding disability - and my findings were basically that a person's position with regard to disability seemed to strongly determine their attitudes about disability. It probably sounds an obvious conclusion, but it was still interesting: that people who have a personal experience with disability or have a family member with a disability, have a more positive attitude about disability and people with disabilities.
Little did I know that 8 years later I would find myself with an insider's perspective on autism. I studied Occupational Therapy and have spent majority of my career since graduating in 2000 working in the area of paediatrics. My last position before I went on maternity leave to give birth to Ethan, was in a team providing diagnostic and intervention services for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. At the time one of my deepest fears was having a child with Autism. It seemed to me to be the worst thing that could happen - to lose your child to a disorder that impacted so heavily on your relationship with your child.
Well, my insider's perspective of having Ethan has changed my attitude about Autism. I have realised that Autism is not limiting - the diagnosis helps me and others to understand Ethan and to know the best ways to assist him to learn and communicate, but it does not define him. He has such happiness, affection, joy and ability to communicate. Our pre-conceived idea of Autism is so very narrow, that we tend to overlook the many positives our children have.