Identity Revealed

Photo courtesy of Google Images

When I started this blog I used our daughter's nick name, "Boo".  I did this for two reasons.  One, I wanted people who read this to be able to identify with Asperger's Sydrome itself and not with just the individual that I identify Asperger's with.  Two, I wanted to somehow protect our daughter's true identity.

I have been thinking a lot about this and decided that my reasons didn't make perfect sense.  Coincidentally not much about Asperger's makes perfect sense.  There is a saying out there in the Autism community:  "If you've met one person with Autism you've met ONE person with Autism".  This is a great quote because   there are incredible differences among children and people on the spectrum in how they learn, think, feel, behave and communicate.  People on the spectrum have many of the same characteristics that help diagnose Autism, but they are as individual as snowflakes; no two people with Autism are alike.

Our daughter is Audrey.  She is our "Boo".  At the time of this entry she is nine years old.  She has Asperger's Syndrome.  She does not define herself as Autistic.  You may read this blog and identify with a lot of her traits characteristic with Asperger's, but she is not like you, not like your child.  She is her own person.  I hope relating to her for who she is, her true identity will actually help you identify more with your own experiences as a parent to a child on the spectrum, particularly Asperger's, or as someone living with ASD.

Be true to yourself, do not hide your real identity.