A is for APHID

I know aphids to be these green little insects that fly around garden plants, attach themselves on the stalks and branches, and then suck the sap out of them. In our London house, we have a garden and that’s where I came across these plant lice. They are common garden pests with around 4,000 species found around the world.

Here’s what I read on the internet regarding aphids:

“Aphids are small (1/8 inch long), soft bodied, pear-shaped insects that may be green, yellow, brown, red or black in color depending on species and food source. Generally adults are wingless, but some can grow wings, especially if populations are high. They have two whip-like antennae at the tip of the head and a pair of tube-like structures, called cornicles, projecting backward out of their hind end.” (Source)

I hate aphids for they can destroy your plants by sucking the sap out of them; the English word ‘sapping’ derives from the connection we have made with sap being the life force of plants and that once drained, that life force is diminished. My experience in dealing with aphids have made me detest them. But I love how in the English language, acronyms spell out certain words, some are meaningful words while others can be read easily. For the latter, I can think of UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. For the former, I can think of Scuba – Self-contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Actually, I only just discovered Scuba is an acronym.  I’m a scuba-diver, but I’ve used the word so often without realising that it’s an acronym that has become a noun and a verb. It’s amazing, there are so many things we take for granted in life. But I’m glad to be learning everyday.

Did you know that an aphid is also someone who is in high denial? Well, I didn’t, until I did the research. An APHID in autism glossary means A Parent Highly In Denial. Don’t you just love acronyms?

Denial is quite common amongst parents when their child/ren has/have been diagnosed autistic. It’s a wave of shock hitting you hard. On the one hand, this is totally understandable, on the other it can be detrimental for the child/ren in terms of bonding and acceptance. Ultimately, denial will sap the child/ren from being the great person that they can be, no matter where on the spectrum they’re on.

In Open – A Boy’s Wayang Adventure, one parent is APHID.

“Oh Ben,” Mama sighs. “I don’t know, Sky. He’s not getting better and I don’t know what to say to him.” (Open: pp. 30-31)

Often, APHID comes to terms with their child/ren’s diagnosis but still thinks that there is a cure out there. It is very important to note that autism has no cure. There is no medication that can make an autistic person better. Associating autism with a cure projects the myth that autism is a disease. Autism is a neurological condition and autistics are as they are. As James Sinclair of Autistic and Unapologetic explains:

“Is there a cure for autism?

Possibly the most frustrating/annoying/upsetting part of having autism is the rate at which this question appears around the internet. Though this is something which I plan to discuss with passion later on, right now I am simply going to say ‘no’.” (source)

APHID mourns the loss their child upon diagnosis. In the stages of grieving, denial is the first stage that people usually go through in mourning. But there is grace in denial because this is the beginning towards acceptance. (source)

As Jim Sinclair (not to be confused with James Sinclair), an autism rights activist who started the Autism Network International, said in his essay, ‘Don’t Mourn for Us’:

“You didn’t lose a child to autism. You lost a child because the child you waited for never came into existence. That isn’t the fault of the autistic child who does exist, and it shouldn’t be our burden. We need and deserve families who can see us and value us for ourselves, not families whose vision of us is obscured by the ghosts of children who never lived. Grieve if you must, for your own lost dreams. But don’t mourn for us. We are alive. We are real.”—Jim Sinclair, “Don’t Mourn for Us,” Our Voice, Vol. 1, No. 3, 1993.

I hope that reading this post will have clarified certain things for you. Let’s celebrate autism rather than denigrate it. Let’s love our children for who they really are. Let’s work towards more #acceptance and #tolerance in our communities and societies. To end this story, I’d like to share another on how a particular APHID connected with her autistic son through her own self-discovery.

A Little Announcement. 

It’s 18 days to the book launch; I’m counting down to March 10. I’m looking forward to seeing friends and readers there. Come take part in the dialogue between Raymond Tan of Brainchild Pictures and me on representation, inclusivity and the importance of preserving our cultural heritage. [yes!! the book is an adaptation of The Wayang Kids.]

Purchase your copy of the book and take a photo with it and [hashtag] #OpenEveryChildMatter. Thanks for reading, always!

 

 

Image: Public domain. The life stages of the green apple aphid (Aphis pomi). Drawing by Robert Evans Snodgrass, 1930.