“‘He’s not a dud’”
April 12, 2006 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Books, Music, Stereotypes
Excuse me?
Autism parent Marc Littman, author of the novel Eddie and Me on the Scrap Heap (2005), is quoted in Psychiatry24×7.com as saying:
“I wrote the book because I was beginning to think my own autistic son was a dud and I needed to burrow into William’s world and discover the truth,” said Littman. “Six years and 63,000 words later, I finally realized my son and others with special needs shouldn’t be defined by their disabilities. They often have remarkable personalities and talents to compensate.”
This dad thought his son was “a dud”?
If his son didn’t a “remarkable personality and talents to compensate”—and Littman notes that his son has a “passion: for Chuck Berry’s music and for reggae–would he have “accepted” his son?
Charlie has a liking for Chuck Berry himself, especially a song called “Havana Moon,” and also for a jazz violinist, Don Sugarcane Harris Jim and I are more than glad to hear something besides “Mr. Sun” and “The Rainbow Song”—but if Charlie wanted to keep singing those, that would be fine. Charlie’s always been a dude.
Never a dud.
Jeff Stimpson
Jill Cornfield
I don’t think he would have, Kristina, so that is very sad.
Also we don’t think we can know his mind.
And I agree: Charlie is a DUDE.
Maybe not in the Dude where’s my car sense, because he can actually find the car and have a great adventure.
I was surprised (though I guess I shouldn’t be) to see that comment from a parent. Of course he says he has “accepted” his son’s autism but it was very painful to read those quotations.
Charlie used always to be able to find our car even in a huge parking lot—-and we’ve certainly had many a great adventure once we’re all in.
I really hope his son never reads his words. Can it be that he never considered how his son would feel upon learning that it took SIX YEARS for his father to realize that he “shouldn’t be defined by his disabilities?” It breaks my heart.
Kristina, I had fallen off the face of the blogosphere for the past week and was DELIGHTED to return to find that I now have TWO places to catch up with you and Charlie! I love the new blog!
I read one of my Dad’s stories which he sent out to a competition. I was meant to be represented as Janey in the story. Janey was lining up tricycles and you can imagine how I was feeling when I read that line.
It’s presumptuous to assume that he either would or he wouldn’t have realized his son’s talents. Unless you, or I, or anyone else can read the future, let’s not twist words to fit our purposes and suppose what might have been. Suffice it to say, he is the parent of a “disabled” child and he’s learned in his own way how to understand his son. Isn’t that enough?
Perhaps using terms such as “dud” just shows how wrong he was about his son to begin with. Isn’t that part of the point he’s trying to make?
Julie: Yes, and of course his words could well have been quoted out of context in the article. Nonetheless, it’s strong language to see applied to a child–any child, and some of his other statements about disability could be further considered.