Reply to Having a second child

Forum Index » Kids With Special Needs and Disabilities

Reply to "Having a second child"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]We didn't know about our son's challenges (HFA/Aspergers) when we had our daughter two years later, but we're very very glad we had two--and not just because the second is wonderful in her own right.  They are very close and the constant interaction and negotiation with her is fantastic for his socialization.  It's probably not quite like having a constant playdate with a same-age peer, but it's a whole lot better than nothing.  And younger siblings are in some ways the perfect playmates for Aspies.

And of course, let me pile onto the disagreement with the comment above about it being irresponsible to have a second.  My kid with ASD is AWESOME, and I wouldn't trade him for any kid in the world.  He's clumsy and has trouble regulating his emotions and dealing with unexpected change, but he's sweet and kind and funny, and brilliant.  His brain can do things that typical kids simply cannot.  He'll have a rockier road than many do, but the implicit suggestion that he or the world would be better off if he didn't exist is nuts.  It would be funny if it weren't so dangerous--because of course there is a risk that somebody is going to invent some kind of prenatal screening for autism and we will end up steadily reducing human diversity in a way that could have terrible consequences.  Thank goodness no one told Alan Turing's parents not to have him.  My German is lousy.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics