Today is World Autism Awareness Day. Light It Up Blue is a campaign started by Autism Speaks to raise awareness for the thousands of children and adults living with autism. Over 90 countries, 750 cities, on 7 continents will light up approximately 7,000 landmarks with blue lights to do their part to raise awareness of autism spectrum disorders which effects 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys. Those numbers are staggering. Autism does not discriminate by race, culture, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Obviously, little ole me can't compete with Autism Speaks so I have spent weeks trying to figure out a small role I can play to honor my son and others living with autism. I decided that rather than rattle on about statistics, causes, treatment, etc, I would instead show you what autism looks like in my family.
Some different-abilties are more obvious than others. For example, a child with Down Syndrome has a distinct look so you can "see" their different-ability, however, many kids with autism look like every other neurotypical child you pass by in the mall, the grocery store, or in the school hallway. This is why, when a child with autism is next to your table in a restaurant and they are melting down because their french fries touched their hot dog or because they don't have the bendy straws like they use at home, or the real melt down trigger, their sandwich is cut into rectangles and not triangles, people are quick to judge. These kids, so often misunderstood, "look" like a child with horrible behavior and that's why the parents sitting in the next booth over "tsk, tsk" and wonder why in the world those parents don't reign in that child's behavior.
So try and keep these statistics in mind the next time you witness what you believe is an undisciplined child's tantrum as you cruise through the mall. That child may be so overwhelmed by the blinding fluorescent lights, the horrific smells of the food court, the 20 different conversations he or she is processing and the overwhelmingly painful sensation of the new shoes he is wearing that "melting down" may be the only way that child can express himself. So instead of judging that mother, give her an encouraging smile that lets her know you "get it", even though you don't, and if you happen to have a flask in your handbag, feel free to share it with her.
Children and adults living with autism often "see" the world in pictures, so in honor of all of them today, here are pictures of what autism "looks" like to me...
Some different-abilties are more obvious than others. For example, a child with Down Syndrome has a distinct look so you can "see" their different-ability, however, many kids with autism look like every other neurotypical child you pass by in the mall, the grocery store, or in the school hallway. This is why, when a child with autism is next to your table in a restaurant and they are melting down because their french fries touched their hot dog or because they don't have the bendy straws like they use at home, or the real melt down trigger, their sandwich is cut into rectangles and not triangles, people are quick to judge. These kids, so often misunderstood, "look" like a child with horrible behavior and that's why the parents sitting in the next booth over "tsk, tsk" and wonder why in the world those parents don't reign in that child's behavior.
So try and keep these statistics in mind the next time you witness what you believe is an undisciplined child's tantrum as you cruise through the mall. That child may be so overwhelmed by the blinding fluorescent lights, the horrific smells of the food court, the 20 different conversations he or she is processing and the overwhelmingly painful sensation of the new shoes he is wearing that "melting down" may be the only way that child can express himself. So instead of judging that mother, give her an encouraging smile that lets her know you "get it", even though you don't, and if you happen to have a flask in your handbag, feel free to share it with her.
Children and adults living with autism often "see" the world in pictures, so in honor of all of them today, here are pictures of what autism "looks" like to me...
"You all laugh because I am different. I laugh because you are all the same"
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