Welcome you to Autism the Language of Love, which is dedicated to loving, supporting, educating and assisting people such as yourself, who may have autism, or may be a parent, carer, friend or relative of someone who has autism, or a professional that works with autism.
I have lived with Autism my entire life, my son Tobias was diagnosed in April 2002 (at the age of 3 years and 9 months) with autism. My brother Michael also has autism. and I have a sister Susan, who is severely mentally and physically disabled, who has lived in full time care since she was approximately 7 years old.
I created this blog because I truly wanted to assist you and people with Autism by sharing all these experiences and knowledge and profound realizations that I have accumulated over a lifetime. I also wanted to create something that I wish I had had years ago, and I know so many of you desperately need and want right now, and that is a loving, supportive and positive, environment where you can be HEARD and get help, advice and support without being judged or made to feel guilty or ashamed. I know Autism is frequently presented as something to fear, as incurable, as a disease, even an enemy that you need to fight, treat, fix, cure or even eradicate. And as a result so many people with autism and the parents, carers and relatives of people with Autism end up living with: fear, stress, worry, anxiety, overwhelm, confusion, exhaustion, depression, guilt, shame, low self-esteem, isolation, loneliness, lack of support and resentment many times loosing themselves and giving up on their dream. BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE THIS WAY, because Autism is not the enemy or the disease that needs to be fought, the real disease and danger is FEAR and ignorance, and here at Autism the Language of Love you will learn how to face and conquer your fears.
When I post blogs, you will have the opportunity to ask me questions. And in the future I will be holding phone webinars that you will be invited to, where I will also have special guest speakers that will assist you all greatly.
WHY IS YOUR WEBSITE CALLED AUTISM THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE?
The majority of people with Autism are nonverbal or struggle with verbal communication. But there is one language all people regardless of their lack of language skills can feel and understand, and that is the Universal Language of Love it is the language of the heart and soul and it is the language of autism and their medium for communicating and connecting.
In the search for cures, treatments and therapies it is so easy to forget that Love is Enough and that Love is the most powerful and potent medicine of all is Love, that can conquer and cure the real life threatening diseases such as Fear and Ignorance.
A LITTLE HISTORY ABOUT ME AND MY SON
My son Tobias was born in July 1998, and in April 2002, he was diagnosed with autism and would self-harm. I was told he would never speak, he would not read or write, he needed to be taught sign language and that he should go into a school for severely autistic children. All I was told was, what my son would not do, not once was I told what was possible. I had faith and I believed one day he would speak, one day he would be able to read and write. I chose to do all I could to learn and train how to help my child myself, knowing I would always go that extra mile and would never give up on him.
Tobias is now 17 years old and still has autism, but he can speak in sentences, express his feelings, read, write, is highly intelligent and an imaginative and wonderful artist. But most of all he is such a decent, honorable, warm, loving, compassionate, kind and caring person who is so funny. If you ask Tobias are you happy, with a big smile on his face he will say YES. How many people so desperately wish to be happy, many times there is such a strong focus on fixing and curing Autism that it makes people forget one of the most important things, are they happy? What would make them happy? Not what I think they should do and be to be happy, but what is happiness to them without projecting my preconceived ideas of happiness on to them.
OUR MESSAGE
Every person regardless of their age, disabilities, colour, sex etc. is entitled to be happy, respected, and to have dreams and find and fulfill their purpose, that is your birthright and no one has a right to take that away from you.
Love the person with autism just as they are, autism and all. Stop waiting to love the person you want them to be. And the only way you can achieve this, is, by doing the same thing to yourself, so please love and embrace yourself just as you are, be kind to yourself, you don´t have to wait until you have dropped that 20 lbs to love yourself, do it now because you deserve to be happy and you deserve to be loved.
THEIR MESSAGE
They label us with Autism
Then place us in a prison
Labelled with challenging behaviour
You believe we need a saviour
You cannot see it on my face
But my world is such a beautiful place
It is just like the eternal sea
In which I am perfectly me
One day you will finally know
We are put here to help you love and grow
And that I am not the one with the disease
But it is the world that needs curing and not me
~By Zobeeda Madsen