She doesn't need "fixing"

I bought a new Allison Strine pendant for myself recently and it arrived today, the day my little girl becomes 6 years old. Allison had this in her store worded towards sons (the much higher percentage of ASDs), but she changed mine for me at my request, as this is just how I feel about Sienna. Funny little Sienna has had quite an eventful year really, a couple of medical issues and a range of tests and assessments for various reasons. Most recently she was diagnosed with Aspergers, an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Someone said to me how do I feel about her being "labelled". I don't really feel like it's a label as much as an explanation - it's not who she is, it is a condition which explains the way she sees things, ways which are not always obvious to others because they are different. It also explains why she struggles to regulate her emotions. This is great for her as having that understanding increases our empathy for her at times when she can seem on the outside to be, quite frankly, a real brat.

Someone else said to me "sorry", and as much as I see that this expression is coming from a loving place, I don't feel that it is something to be sorry about either. Sienna hasn't changed - she is who she is, wildly creative, quirky, crazy, funny and cute. Recognising Aspergers will just help us understand her better. And as someone who has always been a bit different from the norm, I'm happy to teach her about the positives of having such a unique perspective. Though I do realise it's fair to feel sorry for us having to deal with the more difficult behaviours. But it's not that big a deal, it's just what we need to work with to have this wonderful, fascinating girl in our lives. I'm grateful to have her, I love that she is quirky and has such a wonderful imagination and instinctive creativity.

One of her latest ideas is that she is the Queen of the world. Apparently Cedar is the King! In her own world they are the two most important people, (um, poor Ash - left out!). Funny little thing. On that note, here is another photo of the little man, lying beside the Australian Cedar tree that Pop planted for him after he was born - cute!