Try Walking In My Shoes, Revisted

Back in April, I shared a video that explains what it can be like for someone with autism/aspergers to walk down a street.  I said at the time that the video captured a lot of what I deal with at times, especially the getting distracted by…everything.  In case you missed it, here’s the clip below:

Via Rod Dreher, here’s another video about how persons with autism interact with the world around them.  This one connects less to me because I don’t have meltdowns like the boy, but it still resonated for reasons I can’t explain.

Sensory Overload is different for each person with autism, but I can say that for me, it is hard to concentrate because my brain is constantly “scanning” looking at things and hearing everything.  For some folks like myself, we can kind of trudge forward even though it leaves us quite exhausted.  But for others, this is a living hell. I’ll let Dreher, who has a son with Aspergers, have the last word on this:

Watching this video tonight, and then having him watch it and validate its content, is a powerful reminder to love that kid more, and to be more tolerant of him and the cross he carries. 

If you have an Aspie or someone with autism in your life, even at the margins, please watch that video. It’s important.