Sunday, April 24, 2011

A much better conversation


So remember how earlier I had a really awful conversation? Well, I had a much better conversation today.

Actually, the circumstances were almost the same. It was at the cafeteria. I was eating with a group of Co-workers. The conversation came up around what high school was like for us. I took a deep breathe and I started to say that my experience was pretty was pretty awful because I was NNT and that I was really helped by therapy and pills. I was expecting them to look at me like I was crazy. But that's not what happened. Instead it started a conversation around what it meant to be NNT and how that has changed our lives. 
it turns out, I had nothing to be scared of.





It was awesome

  
As it turns out, this group of friends also had similar problems in high school. 
Problems focusing. 
Problems with teachers who needed a high five to the face. 
Problems with people not believing you when you said you were NNT.
Problems getting homework done.

It burst my bubble in the best way possible.


You see, up until this point, I assumed that everyone I worked with had the same view: that if you were NNT then you were clearly wrong/broken.

We had a great conversation about what it means to be on the spectrum. We talked about how not all drugs work for everyone. If the drugs work for you, you go Glen Coco. If they don't, then find something that does. Keep working until you find something that works.
I heart Mean Girls so much.
We talked about how when you get accommodations, sometimes teachers start to teach you like you're retarded. We talked about how frustrating it is.
How teachers look at you when they find out you need accommodations. 

It wasn't the perfect conversation, there were still some issues. My co-workers still said that they thought that ASD was just a fad. In fact, one of them said almost verbatim what my co-worker said last time.  But I can't educate everyone, I can only educate myself.

But they were willing to listen to me and hear what I had to say. It was marvelous. Taking the leap turns out well (sometimes)




PS. Today is Easter, being a heathen, I wish you a happy Zombie Jesus Day.

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