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Defined By A Negative Label... And All That Implies :o( ! Negative labels do not end at "nonsense language". They includes all other negative labels, such as "attention deficit", "oppositional defiant", "pervasive developmental disorder" and so many more labels, in general, that we choose to "tag" on children because we simply don't understand them! These "negative labels", I would argue do more harm than good as explained in the section below! "Nonsense Language"... two words... but when combined, they provide a very powerful image... a image that "something is wrong" and "needs to be fixed". This "label" once associated with the type of "language" autistic children displayed has negative impacts in more ways than one. First, and foremost, "nonsense language", as stated above, implies the child's mind was somehow "broken" because the language "communicated made no sense" - but, the key here is that it made "no sense - to us" - to the adults who were trying to understand it!!! But, as shown above, to the autistic child, in my opinion, it surely made PERFECT sense! I stated above that "it's all in the label"... and that labels, can indeed be quite damaging if the label "tagged" to someone, and especially a child, is a negative one. The fact that what I now understand to be "ordering language" had once been labeled as "nonsense language" led me - at first - to believe this language "should be stopped" or "prevented somehow" because it was "nonsense". As such, I tried to "break it"... and in doing so, I literally introduced "more parts" to the equation... more things, my child had to deal with in processing language... and, specifically, "more parts" that made no sense whatsoever in terms of relating the "part to the whole"... and "parts" that had to do with "imagination and pretend play"... and "pretend or imaginary play", in my opinion, has many potentially dangerous results for autistic children. For more on that topic specifically, see my section on The Danger of Pretend Play In The Autistic Child! The point I am trying to make here... is that a label... especially a negative label... can result in persons doing things, unknowingly that could cause more harm than good! The "negative feeling" I have comes from the fact that because of a "label", a term called "nonsense language", I assumed that something "was broken" and needed to be fixed. I now truly know that this was not the case... that "nonsense" language was not "nonsense" at all, but actually made perfect sense when viewed as "ordering language" and its role in "breaking the code©" and coping with the world. "Nonsense language" was anything but "nonsense". It was the autistic child's perfect way, in my opinion, of making sense communication provided by others, in the form of labels, conversation, etc., of trying to "order what he heard from others" and also, of trying to "deal with life" when things just got too difficult to understand and cope with. That negative label - "nonsense language" - had led to a very false assumption on my part... and with that false assumption, came my very "wrong" way of dealing with nonsense language. By trying to "break nonsense language", I was actually introducing new "parts" for Zachary to deal with... often nonsense parts that involved squirrels driving trucks, etc. Luckily for me, I also made use of a lot of colors... what I believe to be another coping mechanism used by autistic children in understanding their world. For more on that, see my section on Color and why I believe that for the autistic child, it may truly be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! Indeed, I had misunderstood the role of "ordering language" because of a negative label called "nonsense language" that led me to believe something "was wrong and had to be fixed". The only comfort I have in this is knowing that, obviously, I was not alone in not having understood "ordering language"... that many others out there, indeed many "experts" in autism had also completely missed the boat! A negative label had not only put me on the wrong "track" in terms of figuring out the puzzle of autism, and understanding my son, I suspect it had also put many others out there on the wrong track as well... for decades! You see, a label such as "nonsense language" results in very different research than would a label of "ordering language". Is my label of "ordering language" correct? At this time, I believe it is. Is it negative? I don't suspect it is nearly as negative in its implications as "nonsense language"... but, it certainly may have a tendency to "lock people into thinking this, too, is the answer". For now, for my family, I think it is... will it always be the answer?... maybe - but maybe not! If someone can present a better theory explaining "what we see in autism", in terms of explaining all those things I believe I now can explain, obviously, I will consider that theory. Theories come and go... but, I have only one son, Zachary, and I will take the best of what's out there - what makes the most sense - and leave the rest! :o) As a parent, I have the luxury of doing that. This is much more difficult to do for those in science. Science has a way of getting "locked" into the "accepted view" rather than looking at things for what they truly are. Funding and grant issues largely determine "what is studied" and for "how long". Throw in there the "politics" of research and government and it all makes for one nasty mess, in my opinion. Due to funding issues, politics, and yes, even egos, there is an inherent defense mechanism in man to dismiss what he does not understand or what goes "against his theory" as "ridiculous"... in everything from science to religion... and herein lies the danger! As such, I encourage all persons, parents, researchers, therapists - everyone - to always truly "look" at what is before them rather than assuming someone else had "the answer"... for, in many things, there can be many reasons for which we see "something"... and the challenge lies in continuing the quest to fully understand that something rather than in "going with what we know" and basically dismissing the rest, through "negative labels" because, right now, we simply don't understand what is before us! The "answers" we are given indeed, have many "facets" that play into them and "influence" the outcome of "research"... not all of which are positive. :o) Indeed, so much out there that was based on inaccurate thought in term of understanding the autistic mind, that a simple thing such as a "negative label" caused many to look for a "problem to fix" rather than to seek the answer as to "what was behind what we saw". In looking to "fix something" was the underlying assumption that something was "wrong" in the first place... and that, clearly was not the case when it came to "nonsense language"... this language, when viewed from the child's perspective made perfect sense! I am thankful that by the grace of God, I chose to make this "experiment" the least stressful as possible for Zachary. I had been determined not to use anything "negative" at all with him. Patience and understanding... patience and understanding... patience and understanding... those would be my keys to understanding my son - I was convinced of that - and indeed, they were! I can not express in words how I would have felt if "punishment" had indeed been used, if I had in any way whatsoever increased Zachary's stress level by using currently accepted behavior therapy methods because I could have, potentially, been punishing him for making use of a coping mechanism he so desperately needed to make sense of his world... a coping mechanism that made such perfect sense, when examined from his perspective. It truly upsets me to think of what is going on in the world in terms of behavior therapy by persons who truly do not understand the autistic child... persons who continue to think that "something is wrong and must be fixed", when so clearly, at least in my opinion, this is clearly not the case! This example I provided for labels we "tag" on children or others with "mental illnesses" in general. I'm sure the same is happening in terms of "how we investigate things" in the area of "attention deficit" or "pervasive developmental disorder"... in all these, a negative label undoubtedly results in man's desire to "fix something that is broken" rather than look at what we are truly dealing with. Indeed, I am certain that if "attention deficit" were actually labeled "focused attention" for example, that the research into this area would be quite different. Pervasive developmental disorder implies "disorder everywhere"... but, again, that, in my opinion, is not the case. There are delays in these children in social area, but other areas are quite strong... another "bad label" in my opinion in terms of the type of research it generates and the stigmas associated with such a label. I've touched on autism spectrum disorder labels only... but, surely, the same is true of all "negative labels" as they relate to stigmas, research, and overall understanding as these relate to many many illnesses. |
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