Autism Walking A Red Road

Kathy McKeown "Autism Walking a Red Road" on http://millrivervoices.com/

“There is no quiet place in the white man’s cities, no place to hear the leaves of spring or the rustle of insects’ wings. Perhaps it is because I am a savage and do not understand, but the clatter only seems to insult the ears.”

These are some of the well known words attributed to Chief Si’ahl, known in English as Chief “Seattle”. He was a great leader and wise man of the Dkhw’Duw’Absh (“Duwamish”) Nation.

My name is Kathy McKeown and I understand these words. I am a person with Asperger Syndrome, a human from the autism spectrum.

These words are some of the only words that have ever understood me.

I relate to Chief Si’ahl because I was born with a few autistic “hyper”-sensitivities. One of the predominant ones is to industrial sounds. Fumes are also not good for me.

I have only known my “diagnosis” for the last two years. I am now, as of this writing, sixty years old. I hope that I have acquired some wisdom that I can share with you, so that autism is better understood.

My intention is to communicate in my language of autism, for my language of autism, and to apply my functional autism in speaking up for the silent and the silenced human beings, the animals and plants, that well known web of life that is our habitat, the diversity of our survival.

If I am a “savage and do not understand”, then I am happy to be one.

I am new on Twitter as SheSpeaksAspergian@SpeaksAspergian and the author of the web content (partly copied here and very much in development) at MillRiverVoices.com. The .com is for community in my savage mind.

/S/ Kathy McKeown