I tried to find an eloquent picture to show my support for Autism Awareness Month, but in the case of my son having Asperger’s, I don’t feel he needs to be “cured”.

Yes, he talks loudly. Like…ALL the time. He doesn’t go below a level 8…and even that is on a quiet day. And no. Shhh’ing doesn’t work. Trust me. I tried.

Yes, he has obsessive tendencies with topics. Lists? Dates? Factual points in history or with animals? He’s the one to go to. (And you should see his rock collection. No, not fancy rocks. The rocks you find on the side of roads or dirt piles. We have a whole shoebox dedicated to them now.)

Yes, he repeats lines from what he hears. Over, and over and over.

And over and over and over.

Yes, he seems defiant, but he doesn’t hide behind societal facades of how one should or should not act. He thinks it? He says it. He feels it? He shows it. Is this really such a foreign concept?

Yes, it is hard for him to understand how to interpret social cues. See above.

Yes, he needs alone time. A lot of it at times….to delve into his own world and not be as stimulated by his environment. And that’s okay.

Yes, he brings up random topics at the most inopportune times. The most inopportune times to others though, not to him.

We don’t live life carrying around the identity of Asperger’s in our home. He is aware he has that diagnosis, but it doesn’t DEFINE him. Who he is in his heart defines him. When he insists on getting his sister something when she isn’t around and when he kisses me on the cheek goodnight and tells me he loves me? This is who he is. His character and his compassion and how he treats others shows the world who he is — not a man-made title that confines him to a box. A mold. A stereotype of how one “should” be.

Aspies don’t need a cure in my opinion. They only need acceptance. Acceptance for who they are, not what the world tells them they have to be in order to fit into a society that we others drew the lines for and expect others to fall into — for fear of being different.

Different doesn’t mean wrong.

I’ll tell you something big. Something huge. Something very important:

My son doesn’t need to be fixed.

Why?

Because he isn’t broken.

He may be different, but underneath everything, aren’t we all?

Shed the societal layers that have been placed on you. Who WOULD you be if the world didn’t tell you who you SHOULD be?

Who WOULD you be if the world didn’t tell you who you SHOULD be? #autismawareness Click To Tweet

Guest Author, Danielle

Danielle is an American Muslim residing on the east coast with her two children. Her son was diagnosed with Aspergers when he was four years old. He is now almost ten. In her spare time, she enjoys going to the beach, gardening and losing Mario Kart races on the Wii with her son. She likes to take every day one step at a time by embracing laughter and love. Add a dash of the autism spectrum and there’s never a dull moment!

Originally published at embracingthespectrum.com on April 25, 2016.