Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Inspiring wishes for the future from a man with autism


I get a good deal of spam, the occasional chain email, and a whole lot of notices I've won a lottery, but I don't think anyone's ever sent me a poem. That changed with an email the other week from one Scott Lentine, who has high-functioning autism and who lives in a Boston suburb. He works for the ARC of Massachusetts where, he says, "I try to persuade lawmakers to pass key disability resources legislation to improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities."

He asked me to share one of his beautiful poems here. It speaks to the hopes I have for Max, too.

The Ode to the Autistic Man

Try to understand the challenges that I face
I would like to be accepted as a human in all places
Where I will end up in life I don’t know
But I hope to be successful wherever I go
I would like to expand my social skills in life
Making new friends would be very nice

Stand proud for the autistic man
For he will find a new fan
I hope to overcome the odds I face today
Increased acceptance will lead me to a brighter day

By the age of 20, I will have made tremendous strides
I know in the future, life will continue to be an interesting ride
I have made new friends by the year
I will be given tremendous respect by my family and peers
I hope to get noted for bringing the issue of autism to the common man
So that autistic people can be accepted in this great land

Stand proud for the autistic man
For he will find a new fan
I hope to overcome the odds I face today
Increased acceptance will lead me to a brighter day


On my parents.com blog:

"He Doesn't Look Autistic" and Other Autism Misconceptions

On Kicking a Co-Sleeping Kid with Special Needs Out of Your Bed

6 comments:

  1. This is beautiful! You are very talented Scott!

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  2. This is such a great poem. Thanks for sharing it!

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  3. Awesome poem, Scott! You've got a talent for words. There is no doubt in my mind your dreams for the future will come true! Thank you both for sharing. :)

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  4. Reading this just gave me chills! What a beautiful poem, Scott. Thank you both for sharing it here :)

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  5. Thank you for sharing this. I teach children with autism & reading this is so inspiring!

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  6. Parable of the Atypical Student

    A mildly autistic student walks into the classroom. She sits down slowly, easing into the cold, hard seat. One normal student yells, "Hurry up! Don't be slow and stupid!" The autistic student says, "That would be a term to apply to yourself." At the time of handing in of the homework, the autistic student hands in her assignment while the mainstream student wanted to copy hers. She got an A plus on the assignment.

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Thanks for sharing!