Personality Plus

NEWSFLASH: FrogBoy is autistic. He has autism. That said, let's move on to my point.

Being autistic is NOT who FrogBoy is. It does not define him. Frankly, he doesn't even realize he has the disorder.

FrogBoy is also a very sweet, loving child. He's frequently quite funny. He can build amazing things with Legos and can put together puzzles with thousands of pieces in a snap. He is a spelling whiz (98 average) and reads grade levels above the rest of his class. He stinks at math.

There are times when I think there's a little Mini Me running around; he mimics my words and phrases and mannerisms in a way that surprises even me.

He loves Easy Mac. Not good mac and cheese, Easy Mac. He's a morning person, and the minute he wakes up, he wants breakfast. The minute he has breakfast, he wants dessert. Almost 10 years and we still haven't convinced him you don't get dessert after breakfast.

He likes to burp and he thinks farts are funny. He knows exactly which buttons to push to make Spanky go crazy, and he delights in pushing them frequently. He's just a little boy.

So yes, FrogBoy is autistic. But he's so much more than that. His autism doesn't define him, and it shouldn't limit him. Unfortunately, so many people hear "autism" and think "Rain Man." People don't realize that a child with autism can be as high-functioning as FrogBoy is. When he DOES act out, they think he's just being a brat. When he performs poorly in school, it's "okay" because "Maybe he didn't get it." Well - maybe he didn't get it - but maybe it's just because ancient history isn't his thing.

In our house, we don't allow the autism excuse. It may actually factor in to our decisions, but he doesn't know that, and he won't. I just wish more people would see the child and not the label that has been smacked on him.

He's a great kid. End of story.