Charlotte Moore on Autism

There's a lovely article in the Guardian from Charlotte Moore about her 2 autistic sons. I always enjoy her writing on autism, it's full of heart and truth and I can relate to much of what she says. I don't like her use of the word "autist" to describe her sons in this. It's a word that is best left for people to self-identify if they so choose, it's presumptuous for a non-autistic person to use that term.

She over-generalises traits her sons possess when she writes, "Autists can go for days without eating."
Not so Charlotte.

This made me laugh, "The autistic will is one of the most powerful forces known to man."
Yep, I concurr.

My favourite lines from the article follow:

"Don't compare. Whatever your autistic child is like, he or she is a complete person, an extraordinary being who experiences the world quite differently from you or anyone else."
[...]
"Parents sometimes mourn the child they feel they've "lost" to autism, but this, I firmly believe, is an illusion. My sons were born autistic, and autistic they will always remain; my acceptance of that is wholehearted. If I had my time again, I'd do some things differently, but I wouldn't be without them for the world."