Remember that post where I talked about the T-shirt? The one about autistic kids rock?

[conuly]

Yeah. I've just now realized the *other* reason the complaints against it irritated me.

"Oh, my autistic kid doesn't rock, nor spin, it's such a stereotype, etc, etc, etc"

*taps foot*

Here's the thing. Many autistic people do rock. And guess what? SO DO NTS. Cradles? Rocking chairs? Swings, rocking horses, see-saws, rock-a-bye expletive baby? Rocking is something NTs do all the time.

And they spin, too! They pick their kids up and twirl all around, holding them by the waist or the hands or a hand and a foot. And then kids and adults clamber to go on carosels, and merry-go-rounds. Sit-n-spins weren't invented just to cater to autistic kids, after all.

And yes, non-autistics spin objects, too - spinning tops and dreidel-dreidel-dreidel-I-made-you-out-of-clay and pinwheels and spirographs....

So this is a bad thing why exactly?

Autistic kids rock. So do all kids. It's what they do.

(And before you tell me that the difference is in degree, I *know*. That's not the point.)

I have another rant on playing coming right up.

Comments

[lordalfredhenry.livejournal.com]

Wow...kinda bright ;)

Anyhow, it does match your logo after all. :P But yes, I have said this kind of thing before myself. I just wrote something about a Duke University study last month that basically hints that autistics are like energizer bunnies. They keep going and going and going and sometimes until their nerves burn out...this due to a lack of GABA receptors. GABA is the "slow and stop" signal in the brain that tells most kids to stop after 5 minutes. Autistics just keep going and going and going. That is the main difference. :D Just thought you would like to know that there was a real medical reason why autistics do it more to an "extreme" but is pretty much the same "behaviour" as an NT child or adult. I pointed out rocking chairs to a lot of people and a lot of NTs leg bounce like I do but I do so more pronouncedly and with higher "endurance" so to speak....NTs will stop and switch or fiddle after a while.