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AUTISM,PARENTS AND HUMILITY

AUTISM,PARENTS AND HUMILITY. A short introduction www.theopeeters.be. Overview. 1.Introduction 2.A profile for a professional in autism 3.Knowing versus understanding 4.Humility and perspective taking 5.’But we are in the majority !’ 6.Humility: persons with autism , parents

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AUTISM,PARENTS AND HUMILITY

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  1. AUTISM,PARENTS AND HUMILITY A short introduction www.theopeeters.be

  2. Overview • 1.Introduction • 2.A profile for a professional in autism • 3.Knowing versus understanding • 4.Humility andperspectivetaking • 5.’But we are in the majority!’ • 6.Humility: persons withautism, parents • 7.Book smart versus street smart… • 8.A diploma in A, andthenthey meet parents • 9.(In memoriam) Eric Schopler’steachers • 10.(Just in case): twoannexes , ‘what I have learnedfromparents’…

  3. Introduction An exaggeratedexample: mydaughterknew French, whenshecamefor the first time on a French beach, shesaidwith a big smile: ‘La porteestouverte’ ‘The door is open’ knowing versus understanding… It’s goingtobe a meanlittle speech. Please no ‘long toe feelings’ . It’s notabout the ‘good’ peoplewho ‘understand’… But now more and more: end of the ‘romantic’ period in A, it has becomeanordinary job from 9 to 5….?

  4. A profile for a good professional • Fromtrainingsto a profile: special peopleneed special professionals

  5. Knowing versus understanding • Mindblindnessand the bat-analogy… • Do youunderstand? • Imaginethere are persons amongus…. • Do youunderstand? • In autism the biggest question is not WHAT to do…, neither HOW to do…, but WHY do you do it? Onlythen are youabletoindividualize… • Knowing is notenough, understanding the why is needed…. (no ‘methods’, no ‘manuals’, but understandingautism FROM WITHIN…) • (Study on ‘PreparingWorkfor Persons withAutism’…Biggestobstacle ?....

  6. Humilityandperspectivetaking • Persons withautism have difficultieswithToM, detail thinking, executive dysfunctions, they have echolalia, echobehaviour…. • Andwhataboutus? We have the samedifficulties in situationsthat are beyondourcapacities….ToM,detail thinking, executive functions, echo…Muchdependsupon the level of difficulty… • We even have a PDD in tryingtounderstandAutism

  7. ‘We are right, because we are in the majority’ ! (?????!!!!!!!) • Do we have the ‘norm’ because we are ‘normal’ people (‘severelynormal’?). • We do have a complex of culturalsuperioritythat ‘givesus the right’ (?) tothinkthat we do knowourquality of life shouldalsobe THE quality of life for persons with A? • Do persons whoconceptualizedifferentlyalso have the right totheirown ‘reality’? • The image of the ‘bridge betweentwo cultures’

  8. From persons with A toparentsand the question of humility • Stephen Shore: ‘Ifyou have seenone person with A you have seenone person withautism’… • TEACCH-principle: we mightbe the experts in general, parents are experts of theirownchild • Not putting these twoforms of knowledgetogether is a deadlysin… • D.Ricks’ study on earlyemotionalvocalizationsand the ‘hyperprivateearlyemotionalvocalizations’ thatonlytheirownparentsunderstood…(consequencesfor later development…) • Professionals with a Ph.D.inautism, parentswith a Ph.D. in the knowledge of theirownchild….

  9. U.Frith: ‘Test intelligence versus World intelligence’ • Or ‘Book smart’ versus ‘Street smart’? A characteristiconlyfor persons with A? • A new phenomenon: first diplomas in A in schools of highereducationanduniversities. Notall rectors are saints….(Do we do itforautism? Or are we in autismfor the money?) • Courses underresponsibility of lecturers without practical knowledge of A. Book smart or street smart? • New diplomas in autismforstudentswho are verybook smart….

  10. ‘Andthenthey meet parents…’ • Eric Schoplerand the confirmation of 2 prejudices in society: parents…, professionals… • Andthen the book smart professionals meet street smart parents (autism live!,cfmy first experiences…) • Tworeactions. • 1.Well, let’s put both kinds of knowledgetogether… • 2.Hell. I am the expert. Afterall: I have the diploma… (back to the beginning….)

  11. (In memoriam) Eric Schopler: • ‘I have had twogreatteachers’: • 1.The parents (the experts of theirownchild, the most neglectedcategory of ‘specialists’) • 2.The persons with A themselveswho have shownusthrough the behaviourswhether we were right or wrong (‘understandingautismfromwithin. The ice-berg theory’).

  12. Still time left? • No? • Thenthankyouforyour attention….

  13. Annex, just in case…(1) • ‘My public confession…’: myownmistakes… • ‘How good we are…’ (practical training… • ‘Spider man…’ • Low or youngdevelopmentalage • ‘Accepting’… • ‘Yes, I understand but itdoesn’t take awaymysorrow…’ • The ‘saviour’ complex

  14. Annex 2: Personal reflections. What I have learnedfromparents…. • How many? • Unconditional love… • Their power in the past, present, future… • Socialdetermination of autism: future of persons withautismdepends most on parents • A.Artaud : Indianswhocame down to the cityonce a yearto look at the peoplewho had chosen the wrong path…. (Parents and the ‘futilities of life’…) • Alvarez (‘The savage god’): curedfrom the illnesscalled ‘Americanism’

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