Re: Don't Mourn for Us -- by Jim Sinclair

"There's no normal child hidden behind the autism"

What is normal? I know my own daughter's Autism makes me feel helpless because she stays with her mother and I can not change her diet or even convince her mother to make any dietary changes that might improve her socialization skills. What is worse, I believe the drugs her mother is giving her are making her into a different person. My daughter will soon be 18. I hope that she will take charge of her diet so that she can get off of the drugs. She is an extraordinary human being but I fear for her lack of impulse control and lack of the ability to discern right from wrong. I also do mourn her lack of socialization skills. It is a dangerous world and as a parent I see that she is ill equipped to be a functioning adult that can reach her highest potential. With the inability to pick up on body language and social cues... I worry for her that she will have a difficult time marketing her wonderful art and that her illogical temperament is not conducive to a healthy family or work relationshipd. I also know this is common for many artists and still they manage to express that part of them that they have to give to the world. I am a lot of things and so is my daughter. I know that I have some neurological problems as well. Normal is not on the top of the list but still some "normal" things I can hope for myself and my daughter.