I'm an ABCD practitioner, storyteller / roving illustrator and coach / consultant based in Indianapolis, IN. I was drawn to community and knowing peoples' gifts from a very young age, but found the words that matched my passion in college in 2005 when my favorite Sociology professor handed me the "big green book" (McKnight & Kretzmann's original ABCD book.) I practice ABCD in my own neighborhood and most recently have been leading a national project coaching capturing learnings from museums and libraries who are engaging with their communities using an ABCD framework. I have a wonderful 3 year old daughter and also enjoy exploring how ABCD helps parents, children and families thrive through my own experiments in cultivating neighborly mutuality in my own life.
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Aspergers an Asset
Interesting -www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123567371&ft=1&f=1001">http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2e7WHJ/www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123567371&ft=1&f=1001I like that this was begun by a mother who believed her son had more to offer than what everyone else believed, who went deeper than the label.My nephew Jonathan is being fearfully diagnosed by my family members as having some form of autism... and the feelings that brings up for me are huge.... of fear for him to be in a world that can only see that label, frustration at not being able to protect him from that, but faith in the truth that when gifts are seen and put to use they outshine deficiencies and determination to make this a world where that is understood and practiced every day, all over.Peace,April
I like that. My nephew's world is so fun... when I stop trying to fit it into mine I have so much more fun. He's an amazing percussionist and dancer. And he'll remember things from a storybook we read last time I visited and bring it up, when I didn't even think he'd been paying attention as I was reading.Fortunately my bro and his wife are very involved in the Ba'hai faith and in addition to how musical the family is already, this becomes a community that seeks out, gives a platform for, and celebrates his gifts and talents in music.I should let my bro know about this show. Thank you!
The new show Parenthood (NBC?) is working with this theme. Two of the main characters are parents of a boy diagnosed with high-functioning aspergers. There was a very real, very poignant scene in this weeks episode - a conversation between the parents and the diagnosing Dr., who urges them to uncover his gifts, and "go into his world, when he is ready, you can walk with him into ours."