Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's open admission and candidness about having two children with his wife through fertility treatments led to one of the most moving moments at the rally in Glendale, Arizona, as people chanted the name of his eldest daughter, Hope. The positive response to the candidates' debate on this topic underscores how Vice President Kamala Harris has won support from all corners of the Democratic Party, including moderate Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and even Sen. Joe Manchin (D-VA/IN), a former conservative who left the party this year.
What's so encouraging about the Waltz family story is that they seem to want to help Gus live a good life, not change who he is.
But Tim and Gwen Waltz also deserve positive attention for speaking out about their son, Gus, who has received national attention thanks to a People magazine article., He has a non-verbal learning disability and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which means he is doubly neurodiverse.
Having a son with neurodevelopmental disorders is not enough reason to praise him. In fact, many parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders have harmed their children and promoted harmful ideas, including the idea that vaccines cause autism. Rather, what makes the Waltzes' story so encouraging is that they seem to want to help Gus live a good life, not change his personality.
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According to the Child Mind Institute, nonverbal learning disorders (NVLDs) affect nonverbal learning, such as the ability to notice patterns and learn concepts, including visual and social patterns, as well as language and math concepts. Because of similar characteristics, people with NVLD are often mistaken for those on the autism spectrum, and vice versa. Recently, comedian Chris Rock revealed that he was diagnosed after a friend initially thought he might be somewhere on the autism spectrum.
But while much of the public's and parents' attention has been focused on ways to “cure” people with neurodevelopmental disorders, the Waltzes decided to de-emphasize Gus's shortcomings in the People article after they noticed that he was “increasingly different from his classmates” and that he preferred video games and time alone.
Rather than lament, his parents emphasized that their son was “intelligent, extremely sensitive to details that many of us overlook, and most importantly, a wonderful son and brother to his siblings.”
It's heartening that the Waltzes don't seem too interested in socializing Gus. For a political family that spends its time campaigning, that must be a hard temptation to resist. Gus' focus on what he does best is a welcome change from the old days. To take one infamous example, when a teenage Paris Hilton was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, she was sent to a residential treatment facility because her parents believed they could “cure” her with “tough love.” Even today, some children with ADHD are deprived of food as punishment.
The Waltzes' words and the way they embraced their son may seem completely ordinary, but that's the point. Loving your child, celebrating their talents, and fully accepting them should be ordinary, whether the child has a neurodevelopmental disorder or not. People with neurodevelopmental disorders deserve parents who are committed to helping them thrive. Families should understand that the way they love, interact, and see the world may be different from those of people without neurodevelopmental disorders, but it should be respected in the same way.
Governor Walz appears committed to improving the lives of people with disabilities as Governor. As my friend David Perry has written, he is working to phase out the costs for parents of children on Medicaid, which would ease the financial burden on parents of children with disabilities.
Similarly, the Waltzes are fortunate to live in Minnesota, a state with programs such as Partners in Policy Development (founded in 1987) that support people with disabilities and help their loved ones become better advocates. AARP surveys rank Minnesota as the No. 1 state overall in terms of long-term services and supports. Harris herself was the first presidential candidate to announce a disability policy during the 2020 Democratic primary.
Still, the way the Waltzes talked about their son's disability wasn't perfect. For example, when talking about their son's disability, they say, “It's not a disability, it's his secret power.” This statement ignores the support Gus will actually need as he tries to get into college and get a job. Similarly, many neurodiverse people resent the idea of having “superpowers,” because it implies that their worth is tied to being better than others at certain tasks.
At the same time, it's a step forward that the Waltzes don't see Gus as defective, but instead focus on what he can do, like getting a driver's license. Importantly, the Waltzes are now nationally famous, and can serve as an example to parents of children with developmental disabilities of the joy that comes from accepting, rather than fixing, their children.