Genetics Do Not Define Us.

From my wife.

LIVING IN THE WORLD OF AUTISM…BEING A MOMMY LIVING OUTSIDE THAT WORLD TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HER SON WHO LIVES WITHIN.

Author: Angel Thompson

Life Inside the Box of a Jigsaw Puzzle

Copyright Year: © 2009
Published by Unleashing Potential, LLC
All Rights Reserved.

When I was young I can remember my older brother doing what people would say as “strange
things.” He was just my brother, I was used to it. As I watch my son today I see my brother when we were kids.

Walking into my brother’s room I would find things lined up and in a certain order. He would be sitting at his desk taking a computer apart that he just purchased and then making some changes and would put it back together. He would build radios and sit for hours trying to talk to other people. He made strange noises in his mouth and with his nose. He would “twiddle” his fingers or fidget with hisbuttons and pant cuff. We were born in the 60’s so to say the 70’s and 80’s were good to him would be reaching. He was made fun of, had only 2 friends and lived his life talking above the heads of his peers and often time adults. I remember asking him to write me a computer program for school. (this was when you actually had to program your computer to do what you needed instead of pushing a mouse and clicking on an icon) He sat down and
after 15 minutes had written a math program that would take a student from 1st grade – 12th grade. If you made a mistake it would show you the mistake and give you another problem until you mastered it and “graduated” you to the next level. He wrote this with his number 2 pencil on lined paper.

He struggles with the concept of money, yet has the heart that just wants to be loved and wants to love. I remember at his graduation party…he had worked
the night before on this incredible computer program to have displayed at his party. No one
showed up. Just me and his 2 friends. As he took down his computer display he looked at me and
said, “Sis, I feel like I am standing outside the window looking in…I just want to be inside with
everyone else.” My brother has learned to live in the spectrum. Successfully, with a marriage and a wonderful job doing what he loves…computer programming. He still talks above your head and has a deep passion to love and be loved. He has a strange sense of humor
that can only be him…and I love him.

I watch my son. I walk into his room and see things lined up and in a certain order. He carries papers in boxes and in his pockets. “Receipts” he calls them. He will take them out and line them up and say “I’m working” and then replace them. I showed him how to work my old Macintosh lap top from grad school…that’s all it took. One time and now he knows how to get to his favorite game, “Spin Doctor”.

I wish I could enter his world to truly understand. I wish I could take all the overwhelmedness for a day so he could focus…yet he has learned to love who his is. Last night as he was praying this is what he said, “Jesus, thank you for my autism.” He knows. As long as we support
him, encourage him and help him to unleash that incredible potential God has given him…he will
continue to live out the purpose God has for him.

Joshua has memorized this verse after we read it one night. He says it everyday…it is truly his life verse.

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3

May we all learn from this 5 year old and from the others who live in the spectrum of Autism to
persevere, find joy in every little thing we see and believe the promise of Proverbs 16.

Photo by Kimberly Brunsman