I wanted to share yet another thing you should never say to an Autism parent. This one is something that I have heard countless times from people. Truthfully, they’re well meaning but that doesn’t really make stomaching this particular comments to any easier.
Please share and help educate the public about what NOT to say to an Autism parent. 🙂
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I think people expect to see Rainman – that’s their gauge for what Autism looks like. And people expect Autism to look like one thing – when in fact it’s many “things” and every person with Autism presents differently. Even with all the information out there about Autism, our kids help to educate the masses by being out in public doing what they do – showing the many many faces of Autism.
I still prefer the good old “I’d just beat that kids ass ‘….Nothing like hearing the well informed give such effective parenting advice lol…
It is comments like that which prove there needs to be a more public awareness of autism.
sheridyer2 @Angela McDonough @Kathleen Barney King @Kimberly Ann Miller @Jennifer Whynott you folks are amazing. I agree that people are mostly well meaning but that doesn’t take the sting out of the comments. Hopefully by sharing this, we can help the public to better understand. 🙂
My son is 4. He plays by himself mostly, is non verbal, not potty trained, doesn’t respond to his own name, is very “flap happy”, avoids eye contact and doesn’t respond to his own name. He also hums and rocks quite a bit. I STILL get people telling me ” he doesn’t look like he has autism”. I often wonder what else he could possibly do that could look more obvious. I try my best to understand that people are generally well meaning, but there have been times when I pop off some smart remark. My most common remark is said so sarcastically, that if I type it out it might come across as offensive, so remember… Sarcastic tone here….
” I know! I think the doctors did a fabulous job removing all evidence of that annoying third eye.” Usually that makes them scratch their heads.
OOOH my favorite is when trained professionals who have worked with autistic children for decades tell me, She doesn’t have aspergers because she talks to kids on the playground. After 5 minutes of observation.
@Jennifer Whynott I feel you, truly!!! One would think medical professionals would be a little more enlightened with regards to autism, but unfortunately many are not. They have a preconceived notion of what autism looks like, and anything that deters from that image in their minds equates to a false diagnosis of autism.
My son does speak well. But people don’t notice a lot of his echolalia especially the delayed echolalia where he is essentially just scripting from TV shows. Then the whole lack of eye contact
I’ve heard, but your son will make eye contact and talks .. yep he does, we are blessed and when he melts own an gets flappy happy we are still flappy happy, and when he interrupts you because he doesn’t understand your social cues, we are still blessed and when he laughs when you get hurt, we are still blessed and when he touches you when you don’t want him too, we are still blessed and when he sits in his special education class, we are still blessed and when he reads 4 grade levels above his peers, we are still blessed
Autism looks like a teenage boy with a pastic bag tied around his foot just ask my son lol