Ten Things
Just when you think everything is going OK, it comes to complete halt. How can a child who can memorize every word from a Thomas the Tank Engine movie forget how to add? How can a child type 32 words a minute, but not be able to answer “How was school today?”
One thing out of the one million things I have learned about this disability is that you never know what is going to happen next. Once you start feeling confident about your child and the way things are going, it changes and the worst part is NOBODY can answer why? Autism plays all of these tricks on us as parents. Just when I am about to yell at someone or cry, I go back and read Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew (Future Horizons), by Ellen Notbohm.
- I am first and foremost a child. I have autism. I am not primarily “autistic.”
- My sensory perceptions are disordered.
- Please remember to distinguish between won't and can't.
- I am a concrete thinker.
- Please be patient with my limited vocabulary.
- I am very visually oriented.
- Please focus and build on what I can do rather then what I can't.
- Please help me with social interactions.
- Try to identify what triggers my meltdowns.
- LOVE ME UNCONDITIONALLY!
As a parent, I have to read these ten things quite often. I have it in my car, hung by my refrigerator and in the bathroom. When I get up in the morning, I need to read the list to remind myself every day how hard it is for my son to get through this world with this disability. Or is it an ability? I know my son will never tease anyone or pass judgment. His mind has a built-in GPS system so his car will never need one. He would never do anything he does not want to do. And he will always love unconditionally.