Will you be mine?
Em wanted to be sure that a visually impaired boy in her class could read the Valentine she was sending him. “Can we write (his name) and (my name) in Braille?” I did my best. Hopefully this is one of those “it’s the thought that counts” moments.
Please remember this next time someone puts forth the opinion that autistic people lack empathy. The empathy is there, it’s just that it isn’t expressed in a form you might recognize.
I admit I felt my shoulders relax, releasing some tension that I didn’t know was there. I guess all parents are a bit on eggshells, making a thousand tiny adjustments in steering their child on course through life. This feels like proof that we’re doing something right.
That has to be one of the sweetest things I have ever heard. I can guarantee that not a lot of other kids would have thought to write their names in Braille.
That is incredibly thoughtful.
If you have the time to wait, you are always welcome to poke me for Braille services. I have a Perkins sitting not three feet from this keyboard.
Lest we sound like superparents, I will say that she is used to seeing this boy have his lessons written in Braille, so she’s used to him communicating in writing that way. But yeah, it was pretty sweet. 🙂
Thanks! I’ll mention that to Em and see if there’s anything else she wants to write to him. 🙂
agreed.
Whenever we’re out somewhere and there’s a baby crying, P makes sure we know “baby sad” and he’s worried until I tell him the baby will be OK. And when Kathryn’s little girl has a meltdown, he’ll come over and say “iss-oh-kay, Lily?” It’s totally empathy, he just doesn’t often know what to *do* with it.
It is my fervent opinion that most autistic people actually have a surplus of empathy, and in early childhood grow barriers between themselves and the world to protect their over-tender hearts. These barriers give the appearance of a lack of empathy, but it’s just a tough outer shell developed for self-preservation.