"I Am Special Just Like You," an autism acceptance poem

I am simply known as Nana to my grandchildren. My five year old grandson, Maxwell Harrison, is on the autism spectrum.  I wrote "I am special just like you" for Max and described how he might feel about some of the symptoms he experiences. I hope my words provide some insight in describing how other autistic children deal with their daily life. Thank you to my daughter-in-law, Angel Bielinski, for her creative illustrations and her Super Mom dedication.

I am special just like you
I can take the things I do
And learn from them the best I can
Make a difference with who I am
You might be slow and I might be fast
We don’t need to measure who is first or last
You might be smart and I may be not
So who cares about that we still have a lot
To share and to grow together we’ll be
Friends to the end just you wait and see

I keep to myself quiet as a mouse
Quiet is good in this very big house
The noise the noise that gets too loud
If we’re shopping or in a big crowd
It can come from the tv or radio music
Whatever it is I can easily lose it
It bothers me everywhere and starts to hurt
In my ears and my head and I’m just not sure
How to stop it but wish I could figure it out
What is this terrible noise all about

I am a happy kid most of the time
And smile at everyone I can find

If I don’t understand I easily cry
Wish I could tell you I just don’t know why
Sometimes when you speak
I’m not sure what you say
If you’re sad or you’re hurt
I might not hear it that way
I like it when things are always the same
Like my food and toys and my video games

I walk on my toes and twirl round and round
It makes me feel better and helps me calm down
When you listen to a sound that you don’t want to hear
You can take your own hands and cover your ears

When I get excited I can keep myself busy
By jumping and spinning even though I get dizzy
I can play with my hands and fingers all over
It’s just what I do no need to take cover
When I’m finally tired I do realize
It’s the end of today and can just close my eyes

Things don’t look the same to you and me
Where I see a forest you see a tree
I hear the wind blowing strong in the sky
You hear a breeze as it softly goes by
My smell and my taste are different than yours
So many choices thank goodness of course

There’s really a lot to say about touch
Sometimes even my clothes feel too much
If I think the light is shining too bright
Or even if the noise isn’t right
If it smells awful and tastes bad
And anything touching makes me mad
It’s a terrible time for you and me
But it passes so quickly and soon we will see
That it’s over and done with and better at last
It was just a quick moment now gone in the past

Say what you say easy and clear
I only understand exactly what I hear
If I can’t find the right words to answer you
Watch me carefully look at what I do

When all those words get in the way
I learn best when I see it every day
Be patient with me it does take me time
Show me again and again until my mind
Can figure it out so I can tell
That I learned what I needed and remember it well
As I grow bigger and stronger each day
I hope I can find an easier way
To say what I think and think what I feel
How great that would be a really big deal

I can do better when you think that I can
Remember to show me and show me again
I know that you love me so love me through this
I do my best and don’t need to be fixed
Help me and teach me it’s simple as that
I need you I love you matter of fact
If I can’t tell you exactly how I feel
Or act out in a way that seems unreal
You’re everything I count on every day
Do accept me and cherish my own special way.

If I were a turtle I could move my head fast
Back into my shell where it’s quiet at last
Sometimes when we talk I don’t look in your eyes
I might just forget so don’t be surprised
If I don’t speak at all let’s try to wait
There are other ways we can communicate

It’s hard to sit still when I want to play
I start moving around in my own special way