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| (Picture: Daniella Birtley for metro.co.uk) |
These are just a few
things that no parent of an autistic child needs to hear.
1.
He’ll grow out of it
No, he won’t. He’ll
get older and possibly learn to manage his autism, if he gets all the help and
support he needs.
But he will always
be autistic.
2.
He looks normal to me
That’s the thing – if
my son is in what (to him) is a safe environment, he will appear
no different to a neuro-typical child.
Give it five minutes
and he’ll be screaming the house down because his fringe touched the side of
his face and frightened him.
3.
Why can’t he get on the train, cross the road, be left home alone for a while
at his age?
Because he’s
autistic.
How he reacts today
is no indication of how he will act tomorrow.
Today he’s perfectly
capable of crossing that main road alone – tomorrow he might walk out in front
of a lorry without a second thought.
4.
Just make him do it!
Have you tried
arguing with an autistic child?
They have a built in
capacity for logic that can overrule the most brilliant of tactical minds.
My son can not
only argue that black is sparkly white, he’ll reduce you to tears of
uncertainty in the process.
5.
He could do with a good hiding
People have actually
said this to me and somehow they are still alive.
You wouldn’t try to
beat cancer out of a child, so why suggest doing so to a child with an
invisible condition?
6.
Have you tried vitamins?
Have you tried
getting as far away from me as possible before I hit you over the head with the
endless supplements I use to try and keep him healthy because he will currently
only eat white pasta, pizza and chocolate?
Don’t worry – next
month it will be fresh veg and fruit juice. I’m just hoping it will all balance
out in the end.
7.
He can’t be autistic, he makes eye contact
Because he’s learned
to, in order to fit in.
He’s almost certainly
actually staring at the bridge of your nose and taking absolutely no notice of
anything you’re saying.
8.
Friendships are always difficult with kids
Yes, and they’re
harder when you never seem to say the right thing and other kids don’t
understand when you can’t play games because it means touching people.
9.
I’ll pray for you all
I’d rather you came
over and did the dishes while I lie on the sofa and try to ignore the yelling
for ten minutes, if it’s all the same to you.
10.
Did you vaccinate?
Oh DO shut up.
11.
Ooh, like Rainman? What’s his special talent?
Rainman was
about one person with autism – they are all different.
My son’s special
talent is driving me to tears of frustration one minute then being so adorable
the next that I can’t imagine ever having him any other way.
Relevant articles
- What Parents of Autistic Children Want Educators to know
- The signs of Autism...
- 10 Signs Your Child May Have Asperger’s Syndrome
- "The Misunderstood Child"
- What Causes Autism?
- How to spot autism in school children
- Autism Prevalence Is Now At 1 In 50 Children
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