The New York Times very recently published an intensely personal piece about autism, entitled “The Autism Advantage.” You can read it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/magazine/the-autism-advantage.html
It is a truly remarkably piece, focusing not only on the abilities that are inherent in any disability, but how a family actually found opportunity through their son’s autism. I highly commend the piece to you, in part because it’s not just about one family or about autism. It speaks to the power of abilities of all kinds.
The opportunity the family found came through observing and interacting with their son. I don’t want to spoil the read for you, so suffice it to say that when the parents began to understand how their son’s autism worked, they realized that he, and autistic people in general, had a rare and highly specialized skill set. They also saw that, being rare, it was one that could be highly in demand in certain contexts.
Please read the piece. And in so doing, think about the ability that exists within every disability. An inability to function well on something is often balanced with a special skill, talent, insight. It’s the way the world works – the beauty of contraposition, the finding of strength within weakness, the identification of advantage in disadvantage.
Don Adams, Head of School