15 days ago
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What does success look like?
I really love listening to he neurodivergent rebel. Today she was talking about how when there is any sort of ‘disability’ the medical profession often talks about struggles and deficits. How does the person in your life feel successful? How are they supported to be successful? This looks so different for able bodies or neurodivergent people. NDIS is a prime example- making us focus on what our children can’t do so we get funding for that. But what if your child had an immense interest- they could be the next David Attenborough, the next Steve jobs. What do they find joyful? It feels impossible that this would or could be taken into account for funding. We talk about sensory sensitivity but what is their sensory euphoria?
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Love this! Looking for talents and abilities is so important! There will always be things that people with disabilities find challenging but this shouldn’t define them! My son loves to travel and has recently started his own travel blog looking at travel from his perspective as a person with Autism and an intellectual impairment. He loves to write about where he’s been and what has helped him with accessibility. He hopes it will inspire others get out of their comfort zone and try new things. He is loving doing it and is getting great feedback which is making him very proud! Check it out if you’re interested- www.everybodydeservesaholiday.com
As my daughter grew older I found this especially challenging. I feel that this was when her perspective of herself began to change and her behaviour increased as she felt less than her peers. Our interview with Centrelink when she turned 16 highlighted this as she was subjected to a demeaning interview that although I protested against her attendance, she had to physically be there for as well. This again emphasised all that she could not do. Updated intellectual reports for Centrelink and NDIS every 3 years bring the same dread. At 22 years old my daughter still has an intellectual level of a 10 year old amd she’s not going to catch up in a sudden hurry so I don’t see the point of subjection her so frequently to these tiresome and degrading assessments so frequently. It makes me angry to see how it impacts her and know we have to complete them in order to access funding. She has autism and an intellectual delay but she’s not stupid. She is acutely aware of how different she is to her peers and as a result does not have a healthy sense of self. This we are working on with the help of behaviour therapist and as you discussed Hannah, highlighting the amazing neurodivergent humans. We try to highlight and give lots of attention to Katie’s strengths such as her story writing, drawing abilities, play on words, jokes and ability to quickly recall one liners and history and geography facts. We think that she is amazing amd just wish for her to be able to see herself through our eyes to realise just how wonderful she is. 💗 Thank you Hannah for posting. 🙏