Neurodivergence and...Wait...What's That Sound Coming From Under the Table??

What YOU see and what others don't.

One facet of working with the Developmentally Disabled community that has only made me stronger, is most definitely, perception. Why? Let me call in one of the authors of the book, Autism: Sensory-Movement Differences and Diversity (Cambridge Book Review Press, 2012.), Martha Leary, who spoke in Madison, Wisconsin, to an audience at the Sheraton Hotel, where she encapsulated many of my thoughts about perception.

There have been countless times when I have been in the community with an individual who is diagnosed with a neurological difference, and seen the strange stares from "neuro-typical" individuals, as if we're some sort of second-class citizens, or extra-terrestrials, because of the behaviors on display that appear so unconventional.

One young man that I worked closely with for many years would, during winter time, pick up chunks of ice off the ground as we walked, then stop, and SMASH them onto the sidewalk below, into a spiderweb of a million little shards. No arrows pointing to machismo or Bruce Banner. There was a brief assessment of the fanned fragments and their new design - each one a little diamond that seemed to smile back at him with their glistening. Passerby were oftentimes questioning reality. Sometimes, a brisk, winter walk with my friend could seem like something completely different.

Behaviors exhibited by some individuals on the Autism Spectrum may seem quite peculiar - some only because they are motions being repeated, like hand-flapping, for example. Author Martha Leary asked the audience, "How many of you are tapping your foot under the table right now? How many people are tapping their thigh with their hand while they sit and listen?" Many of us exhibit behaviors that are similar, yet not nearly as visible as some demonstrated by our brothers and sisters who are diagnosed with Autism. What kind of behaviors do YOU exercise, that, if magnified and brought to the attention of others might draw strange looks from people around you?

Questions? Feel free to email me at jeff.rumbaugh@thetranslation-bc.com. Thanks for tuning in and stay REAL!! Jeff 🫶🏼

"Sometimes all it takes is a good translator."