If you’re confused about Autism- Watch This!

Wow. My first impression of the video “In My Language” was music and dance. The humming, scraping, stroking, tapping, and waving hand with waving flag was so physical, rhythmic. The translation was amazing. The narrator explains that her language was not symbols to be interpreted but a constant conversation with her surroundings. She responds to what smells, listens, feels, tastes, and looks and responds to these sensory experiences in a way that is not meaningless, but a moving, ongoing response to her environment.

She says there are many kinds of thinking and interactions of the human mind. She feels she is only valued if she learns my language and types, but I don’t learn hers. Interactions with her surroundings are her way of thinking, and I see that as like a poet writing through imagery, or an artist painting an impression – both communications that are not using language, or not in a typical way.

I was amazed at the translation and appreciate the education.  A person’s inability to speak in what we define as language does not mean there is nothing to say. If we don’t see this, the person’s humanness is also not seen, and we lose the chance to expand our relationships. We lose some of our humanity, too, and if we could learn to translate the language of each person with autism, we all benefit. Thank you for learning my language.