The adults' interpretations of Emmeliene's behavior didn't ring true to me. That she was "sad" seemed simplistic. The judgement that because her grades were good meant that it must only be a mild case of autism was actually a bit offensive. Autistic girls are still underdiagnosed because they blend into their surroundings too well; they become chameleons of a sort, learning to please people, masking their underlying struggle. To hear that from a specialist had me instantly distrusting both the specialist and the school psychologist repeating those words. Ditto for his use of the word "sadly" about a possible diagnosis and his "cutting across her words with the precision of one who listens for a living"... that doesn't sound like very good listening skills at all.
I guess I may be coming at it with bias because it pushed one of my buttons. I enjoyed the ending of the story and the developing relationship between Emmeliene and her art teacher.
It's become a catch-all? Wow, I didn't know that. So much has changed since I've been in school. I did know that the diagnostic rates have skyrocketed, but I thought it was more a reaction to the previous lack of knowledge and underdiagnosis, especially in girls
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I guess I may be coming at it with bias because it pushed one of my buttons. I enjoyed the ending of the story and the developing relationship between Emmeliene and her art teacher.
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