See the quote on the right? Is this true of autism poems? If James Branch Cabell is correct then we have many people rebelling here! And if they're rebelling against being what they are I'd ask myself "What are they?" Talk to adults with autism and they'll often tell you they wouldn't take an autism cure is one were available. So they probably aren't rebelling against being autistic.
From my point of view ASD hurts the parents and other family members more than the children who actually have ASD. Even if you disagree think of these autism poems as a way of healing perhaps.
Poetry is man's rebellion against being what he is. - James Branch Cabell
The Perfect Child
by Tina Moreland
The perfect child came into this world,
Without all his fingers and toes,
He spent days in the NICU,
Being feed through a tube in his nose.
There was one doctor after another,
So many things were wrong,
Though he didn’t understand,
The little guy stayed strong.
After all the surgeries were finished,
There seemed to be something more,
We thought he was a little behind,
Not yet crawling on the floor.
And when we reached out to him,
His arms stayed at his side,
Sometimes for no reason at all,
He would start to cry.
To the doctors we go again,
They said “This boy’s all right”,
But we knew it deep inside.
The thought kept us up at night.
Tantrums and meltdowns,
Still unable to walk,
His hand couldn’t hold a spoon,
No words, did he talk.
One day someone finally listened,
And said what was going on,
This precious child has autism,
Those doctors had been so wrong.
I see in him so many things,
That the rest of the world can’t see,
This child with so many problems,
Will always be perfect to me.
Isn't Socialization Wonderful!?
by Kate Gladstone
Girls and boys, come out to play,
But shoo the neighbors' kid away.
He's awkward, shy, and very smart:
That's proof enough he has no heart.
The grownups say: "No empathy"
And schedule him for therapy.
They hope that all the high-cost fuss
Will make him like empathic Us.
Then he'll do all the things we do,
And be Quite Normal, through and through.
WE are empathic -- think of that! --
Right now, we're torturing a cat.
Untitled
by Rachela Anderson
We are the children and adults with autism.
We are not "naughty",
But we are different
I am a girl with autism.
I am twelve years old.
I do not speak,
But I do understand.
I am a little boy with autism.
I am three years old,
And my mommy is scared
Because I seem to be in my own world.
I am a man with autism.
People call me
"The weird one",
But I am misunderstood.
We are the children and adults with autism.
We are not "naughty",
But we are different.
Daddy... by Tassy Tomlin
Daddy, please, just understand, I’m not quite like the others.
That doesn’t mean my love (for you) is less, it’s the same as my sister and brother.
Daddy, please, don’t get so mad, when I can’t go along with the plan.
My world is scattered, and so I break down, just take me by the hand.
Daddy, please, just comfort me and let me know it’s okay.
I’m getting better all the time, I’ll make you proud some day.
Daddy, know, I’m not just spoiled, ordering Momma around.
She’ll do whatever she can do, in this new life she’s found.
Daddy, know, that SpongeBob rocks, I have to watch him all day.
Compare it to that football game, the big one, where the last teams play.
Daddy, know, I sleep better with Momma, beside me every night.
I’ll sleep in my own bed, when I’m older and not so overcome by fright.
Daddy, yes, I know you love me, I feel it and see it in your face.
Just trying to help you understand, for me, this world can be a horrible place.
Have you ever?
by Tassy Tomlin
Have you ever wished you could hold and receive affection from your child?
Have you ever wished your child would look at you the fifth, sixth or seventh time you called his name?
Have you ever wished he would call you Momma, Mom or Ma?
Have you ever wished your 2 year old would tell you NO?
Have you ever pointed to 8 different boxes of cereal to see which box he wants because he can’t tell you?
Have you ever wondered why the things he does say, he says over and over?
Have you ever been blessed with a smile from ear to ear because you understood what he meant the first time he tried to tell you something?
Have you ever let him eat cereal all day long because that’s almost all he’ll eat?
Have you fixed pizza ten or more times a week because he’ll eat that too?
Have you ever washed that special plate and bowl 2 or 3 times a day because he has to eat off of them?
Have you ever had to get up from the table twice in one sitting, to wash his precious hands because they got dirty and he won’t eat until they’re clean?
Have you ever let your child wear the same shirt for 3 days in a row, thanking God at least he’s wearing clothes today?
Have you ever taken his shoes off and put them back on 6 or 7 times, till they feel just right?
Have you ever let him wear those shoes to bed, night after night?
Have you ever wondered why he tiptoed all day long and could never sit still?
Have you ever let him wear a sock hat all day and to bed because the pressure makes him feel a little better and covering his ears muffles a fraction of the night time noise?
Have you ever wondered why out of all the toys he has to play with, he stares at the wheels of the car he rolls back and forth?
Have you ever wondered why he doesn’t play?
Have you ever had to draw the Wal-Mart star or spark twenty or more times a day?
Have you ever had to ask the manager at Wal-Mart for a sign, so you wouldn’t have to draw it all day?
Have you ever saw the joy on your child’s face to have that sign?
Have you ever had to ask the manager at a restaurant if you could let him sneak a quick look at the kitchen before he’d sit down to eat?
Have you ever had to get up and leave a restaurant as soon as your food hits the table?
Have you been in the checkout line, with a cart full of groceries, when a major meltdown hits?
Have you ever watched people stare at you and your child like you both have the plague?
Have you then had to hold your head high and bite your lip for the sake of your child?
Have you ever had to convince your pediatrician that something’s just not right?
Have you ever had to sit through hours of intensive evaluations, scared of the unknown?
Have you ever received the diagnosis of Autism for your child?
