Introduction?

A friend has suggested I start this blog off with an introductory post, for the benefit of anyone who doesn't know much about autism or Asperger's.

I can see the force of that idea, but on the other hand I'm thinking: Who the hell am I to introduce people to this subject?

Let me lay it out as simply as I can. My son, after a long period of disturbed behaviour, and being evaluated by a child psychiatrist and other therapists, was finally diagnosed as Asperger's in 2006. Up to that point I had been vaguely aware of the term and its relation to the autism spectrum, without knowing very much about it. The pieces, however, very quickly fell into place. Olivier, as we'll be calling him, has always shown a level of intellectual development far ahead of his emotional maturity, a discrepancy which in itself seemed to be the root of frustration that led to aggressive and violent outbursts. He's socially awkward, not at all a bright outgoing child like his classmates. But that seemed like a reaction (his sister is very accomplished and slightly overbearing; I myself am socially distant, undemonstrative, cold in public) rather than a symptom.

Olivier has now been fully evaluated by the clinic who diagnosed him, and will be subject only to periodic evaluations for the time being. His school has two teachers who have training in dealing with autistics (though he's the only one diagnosed) and they're fully up to speed. We've been introduced to a psychiatric counsellor with experience of autism who'll be available when required, for any of us who needs it.

There's no cure for autism or Asperger's, and the more I read about the subject the less I'm convinced that a cure would even be desirable, in some if not all cases. Our job now is to help Olivier to grow up with his different way of looking at the world, making the most of it wherever possible and trimming it if need be to ease his own passage through life, and no-one else's.

I've become what you might call independently fascinated by the whole subject of autism. Most of what you find out is not actually of immediate personal use to me, my son or my family. But it's valuable in itself as knowledge, and as perspective. A painting like the Mona Lisa would only be part so effective if it dwelled on her face, and ignored the landscape in the distance.

The intention of this blog is to share things that I come across as I range freely across that landscape, perhaps making it easier for others who are looking for a way. But I won't be introducing anyone to the subject of autism so much as describing a few of the landmarks I've come across in my wandering.

For anyone who knows even less about Asperger's, there's a comprehensive if technical introduction here from Yale University. The British Autism Society lays out the whole subject of autism quite neatly at its site. The Wikipedia article is quite thorough, and as far as I can tell reliable.

The rest of this blog, I should imagine, will be my introductory post, serving to explain the subject to readers, as I explain it to myself. Perhaps more than any other blog, I'm open to having my notions taken apart by anyone who knows more and approaches the task in a civilised way. I hope along the way to have interesting material for all levels, but I hope more than anything else to do no harm by the exercise.