Labels

Labels, stereotypes, they are both the same and I have always struggled with this my entire life. Perhaps it is from moving around all of the time the other kids would have these pre-judgements about who I was based on their first encounters with me (I was not always the friendliest person - and still am not - we all have our days) This is just something that I feel and still battle with only this time it is over my son. My son who was give a diagnosis, a label of having Aspergers.

When I look at him I don't see Aspergers I see a five year old boy that is full of life, curiosity, loves Lego's, blueberries, and playing computer games. I see a boy who can't go to bed without giving me a hug and a kiss five times over, sleeps with his special blankie, and always has one last question before settling down in bed for the night - and yes another after that last one! Labels are just pre-judgements of what people think someone or something is going to be like without experiencing or getting to know an individual on their own terms. We all experience this at one point or another from both ends of the deal. It only makes us feel small and unappreciated in the end.

Considering that Aspergers is a spectrum disorder I still struggle with Noah's diagnosis. I struggle because some days I see the symptoms of what is wrong with him but other days he seems like a classic five year old (note I did not say normal - what is normal?). My fear is the title of having Aspergers will already set a alarm of prejudgement off in the minds of his future teachers and peers that they will put him under a magnifying glass above the rest of his class and he will be challenged even more to making friends. Luckily, my fears are just that right now fears. They have not been turned into a reality . . . yet. Our sitter Miss B is awesome! She sees Noah, and all of the kids as who they are. They are all treated the same and given the same expectation yet she understands that each kid has to be tailored to understand her rules differently. The school system however, may not see it this way all of the time because they expect certain behaviors through their previous experiences with kids on the autism spectrum.

The only benefits I can see of having a title/diagnosis is that it does set the bar and the notion that he does have the need for extra help and he does have the medical diagnosis for a reason to receive that extra attention before his behaviors classify him as a bad student. All of this screening from the occupational therapist, speech pathologist, opthamologist, psychologist is heavy on our calender and the gas tank. Yet, I know that through these tests and diagnostic screenings we are aiming to treat his symptoms not the title. He will always have a Title in his medical records and be labeled as having Aspergers but his symptoms will improve and he will always be OUR Noah OUR son, just with a something a little special different.