Rethinking Our Perspective on Autism
The words, “I love you.” mean nothing if we consistently message “I don’t trust you”, “there’s something wrong with you” in our actions.
I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to interview Becky Damgaard of the Autism Treatment Center of America founded on the principles of the Son-Rise program. The Son Rise program implements the philosophies that Barry Neil Kaufman and his wife Samahria used to move their son out of his “severe autism” diagnosis. They were told that their son had an IQ of less than 30.
An excerpt that strikes me from Raun Kaufman’s autobiography is this:
“My parents so respected me that they focused totally on what my experience was—not on whether I looked strange or different to other people.”
Raun grew out of his autism diagnosis and went on to graduate from Brown University with a degree in Biomedical Ethics and has become a passionate and articulate international lecturer, author, and teacher to families with children on the autism spectrum.
One of the key principles of the Son Rise program is Joining. In our time together, Becky shared a fantastic story of her own experience Joining with a child. What is joining? Here’s the definition below but listen to our interview to hear the story! It’s truly heart-warming and magickal.
“Rather than forcing our children to conform to a world they don’t yet understand, in The Son-Rise Program, we enter their wondrous world first. Instead of trying to stamp out repetitive behaviors, we see those behaviors as the doorway to connection. Our child shows us the way in, and then we show them the way out.”
The Autism Treatment Center of America has helped countless families to enter into their child’s world. So many children have moved out of their Autism “symptoms” to fully develop their capacities and thrive in their lives.
The tools that adults learn through the Son-Rise program are helpful for life and in all relationships. Interested to learn more? Check out The Option Institute as well. Also founded by Barry Neil Kaufman and his wife Samahria that is geared towards just adulting.