Friday, 20 April 2012

Twitter - A Parents' Story-Telling Tool

This is our family....

And this is Canadian Conservative MP Mike Lake - he's looking at his son Jaden, 16, who has autism and is non-speaking.

In today's Ottawa Citizen, my husband Jim pointed out an op-ed piece about Mike Lake and his son Jaden.  What prompted the article was a tweet from Lake that read, "Jaden a bit anxious this AM - heart racing, shaky.  Non-verbal = he can't explain.  20 minutes snuggling w/Dad & smiles back. #autismchallenges."

Not every parent will agree with Lake's conservative politics, but every parent will stop in a moment of breath-held recognition at this glimpse into the poignancy of family life with a non-speaking child.  I am glad that we have ambassadors for our families in all political parties and Mike Lake is particularly powerful in this role.  His remarkable speech to Parliament on World Autism Day, April 2, 2012 is a moving testimony to the love families have for their children with disabilities and how that is sacred to civil society.


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