Who is Atticus and Why Haiti?
The information written in the home tab is by my 6 year old son, who has an amazing gift – he has Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD and Sensory Integration Dysfunction. This may sound daunting to many, and some days it is, however it has given us the gift of a child that has a completely different and wonderful view of the world around him. Aspergers, sometimes called ‘little professor syndrome’ means that Atticus has a social disability in which he does not feel empathy, cannot understand the little nuances of language such as phrases of speech, jokes and he is very literal in his understanding of language. Yet he has an amazing ability to understand and articulate language in a way that makes him appear older than his years. When he was a toddler, I once told him that his favourite toy would keep him company one night, to which he looked at me completely perplexed and said, “Mommy, stuffed toys don’t talk, how could he keep me company?”
He is also easily overwhelmed with all the things that bombard our senses every day, and is often unable to process too many things at once. He does not understand taking turns, not interrupting and not being able to do what he decides he wants to do in the moment.
He is an extremely intelligent child who has a zest for learning music, playing the organ, reading and understanding the mechanics of everything he sees. Because he is so literal in his language, he is also very literal in his understanding of right and wrong. There are no gray areas and he has an incredible sense of justice.
After the earthquake in Haiti happened, he was very distressed and insisted on hearing and watching the news every day. He questioned what was happening and would wake us at night saying he wanted to help. We offered to make donations, but that was not enough. Night after night, often at three or four in the morning, he would wake us saying he wanted to have his own facebook and email to get people to donate. “Its not right” he would say over ad over. After much discussion, we approached Churchill Park United and they agreed to hear his plea.
This is not us, as parents asking him to do this; this is his desire for justice in a circumstance he sees as wrong and repairable. There was once a little girl who saw a man eating from a garbage can who had the same sense of justice. She was 5 years old. From that little girl came the Lady Bug Foundation.
Maybe, we have another child who will lead us, I don’t know. But what I do know is that we must allow him to follow his path and to walk his journey wherever it will lead.
Will you join him?
He is also easily overwhelmed with all the things that bombard our senses every day, and is often unable to process too many things at once. He does not understand taking turns, not interrupting and not being able to do what he decides he wants to do in the moment.
He is an extremely intelligent child who has a zest for learning music, playing the organ, reading and understanding the mechanics of everything he sees. Because he is so literal in his language, he is also very literal in his understanding of right and wrong. There are no gray areas and he has an incredible sense of justice.
After the earthquake in Haiti happened, he was very distressed and insisted on hearing and watching the news every day. He questioned what was happening and would wake us at night saying he wanted to help. We offered to make donations, but that was not enough. Night after night, often at three or four in the morning, he would wake us saying he wanted to have his own facebook and email to get people to donate. “Its not right” he would say over ad over. After much discussion, we approached Churchill Park United and they agreed to hear his plea.
This is not us, as parents asking him to do this; this is his desire for justice in a circumstance he sees as wrong and repairable. There was once a little girl who saw a man eating from a garbage can who had the same sense of justice. She was 5 years old. From that little girl came the Lady Bug Foundation.
Maybe, we have another child who will lead us, I don’t know. But what I do know is that we must allow him to follow his path and to walk his journey wherever it will lead.
Will you join him?
