Autism, the social glue that binds.

Some people in your life are just like the cornerstone of a building. And like with any good cornerstone, you  take it away and everything else is reduced to nothing. Tyler is definitely the cornerstone of our family. He is the very life and breath within these walls. When he's gone....there's just not a whole lot going on. Sure, we're still doing stuff. It's just different.


Every night before going to bed the husband and I lay in bed and play a few rounds of Sudoku on the Eee Pad. Every morning I always reach my hand up to where I sat it down at.....to find it gone. I know it's gone before I do it, but I reach for it any way to get my first morning kick. That boy has done ninja'ed his way into my room and snatched the Eee Pad. This week, every morning, it's still been right where I left it. Every night it tells me that my Zombies are hungry for an invasion. Or that my Zoo needs tending. 


For only being one person he sure does leave his mark everywhere. I was straightening my room today and found a pair of his shoes under my bed. Two of his hats. And a pair of socks. I found some of his clothes in my dirty clothes basket. He's gone, but he still remains to be everywhere. These are all testaments to his absence, but the strongest of all is the silence. The mornings find no Pokemon. There is no shouting of "COME ON HOPEEEE!!!!" as Tyler tries to beckon her outside, or up the stairs, or down the stairs...


So, here we are. Living a Tylerless life. Going on about our daily lives doing....not much. In the words of Sheldon Cooper, Tyler is "the social glue that holds this little group together". What are we doing then? Life like things. Errands. Chores. Eating. Sleeping. Here are some pictures of what a Tylerless day looks like:

My husband is working.

Teenager is spending her days being very intimate with the couch.

And the Eee Pad is telling me that the Zombies and Zoo animals are in need again.

I sure can't wait for the next few days to go by. Not only is our house in need of it's cornerstone back, but Tylerism's just isn't the same when you take the Tyler out of it. I've been trying to decide if I'm desperate enough to throw out some of the dumb things the teenager says as a substitute. Like just a little while ago my husband read a news article titled "Gator victim saved by 'Swamp People'.." The teenager then says, "Yeah, but what did they save him from?" o.O Then there's the one from the other day where we were watching Lord of the Rings and she called Gandalf Dumbledore and the husband threatened to revoke her geek license. :P Hopefully we will not have to resort to the blonde jokes. A few more days and all will be right in the world! <3

What Autism Looks Like...

This year there have been 3 (so far) very public "gaffs" about autistic/retarded people. Since the "R" word is currently being phased out it has seemed like they are looking for a new word to use in order to insult others or to be funny with. However, from what I have seen, no one in the autism community is laughing. The pages are banding together. We all want to educate the public on what autism looks like, because sadly there seems to be some confusion on that front. So...this is what autism looks like, to me.

Autism is: A person, just like everyone else. See those people on that thermal imager? Only the one up front has autism, yet they are all lit up the same.

Autism is: Something as simple as a stuffed animal can make everything all better.

Autism is: I like cuddling with my mom, long past the age where my peers don't cuddle with their moms. Nor do I care what people say about this.

Autism is: I always see things with new eyes. My wonderment and fascination never stop growing.

Autism is: no fear. My sister wouldn't dare stick her hand in this tank filled with stingrays. I never even paused to think about what worried her. I am not afraid to push myself outside the box.

Autism is: I love my lap top. It is my most prized obsession. I love video games, and I've probably kicked your butt in one or two of them.

Autism is: There is no one in this world I love like I love my sister. She is my best friend. I do everything with her. I don't like other people, but I like her. No matter what.

My name is Tyler. I have high functioning autism. I have it. It does not have me. There is nothing wrong with the way I look. There is nothing wrong with the things that I do. I am different. Not less. I am not a joke or a pun. 

People get their panties in a bunch over autism. I really don't understand it. They freak out. EEWW NOT THE DREADED AUTISM!!! Is it contagious?! :( Unfortunately not. It would make a world of an improvement on some people. You know, without autism...you wouldn't have all the things you enjoy so much. No t.v., no cell phone, no video games, no cars.... Without the obsessions that drive the autistic you wouldn't have any modern advancements. Their inability to let things go until they figure it out is what drives progress. "Normal" people...when something doesn't work and they can't force it to work....they give up. Not an autistic. They push and push. They keep looking at the old with new eyes. Until it clicks.

Keep making fun of the autistic's. One day you will know their names. They will be the ones bringing in the new advancements. They will be your boss. Then we'll check back in to see if you're still laughing. I rather doubt it.

Everyone should listen to this song.

Please think, before you speak.