A "disorder" by any other name

For some reason we are all obsessed with labels. We feel better about something if we can give it a name- it seems more important. I mean, don't you feel less guilty about feeling awful if the doctor calls it something? "Oh yes, you have 'Who the heck knows fever- very bad." Well then your boss says to stay home and your friends/family pour on the soup and sympathy for the "poor thing". And how embarrassing would it be for my family if I died of nothing. I can hear the whispers now "Who dies of nothing? What the heck kind of freak was she?" Its not any different for a diagnosis of kids with disabilities. At first we want to know because we wonder if its our fault; then we want a name because if it has a name then surely someone can fix it; then we need the label so we know what to expect; and finally if we call it some disorder or syndrome people will understand why my kid acts the way he does and its not just bad parenting or that my child is stupid. It takes a long time to get past that last one- I'm not fully there yet. I'm learning that I don't have to explain or excuse him- he re-teaches me that everyday. He just lives and he doesn't know the names of these disabilities or most of what he sees in the world- heck he can only master basic two syllable words at this point. And you know what? That hasn't slowed down his enjoyment of life one bit.