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Here we are back on track again.
How do you communicate?
When you were small how
did you convey your wants
and needs?
Did you use--
Gestures/pointing
Facial Expressions/
eye to eye contact
How about verbalization-
Did you ask for things?
Imagine a world where you
have no clue how to communicate
with others or how to express your
wants and needs.
Now imagine how frustrating
that can be. This is the world
of a child or individual
with Autism.
These are not skills that
children / individuals with
Autism have. They struggle
with these throughout their
lifetime.
Patience, patience, patience
is the mantra here.
As we see in all the
Autism logos--It is a puzzle.
For more information on
Autism
Google Autism or
www.autismspeaks.org
~Keep on Dreaming~
Enlightning post today. thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed day.
shug
Great post, Melinda! A couple of weeks ago, I had that pleasure of meeting up with a girlfriend for dinner. She brought her 7-year old son, and I brought my 3 kiddos. Her son has autism. And although, as an educator, I "know" all about autism, I truly had not interacted one-on-one with an autistic child outside of a school setting.
ReplyDeleteWe met at the Legends for dinner and by half-way through the meal, I was exhuasted. Exhausted! "J" could not make eye contact with me or even any of my children. He lost his crayon (THE blue one) and no other crayone would suffice. OF COURSE, it's the Autistic child's crayon that disappears, right???!!! We searched high and low...I was even asking folks if I could look under their tables and feet to find that damn blue crayon! Melinda, to this day, I have no idea where it disappeared to, but let me tell you, "J" couldn't finish the meal. My dear girlfriend had to take her meal home in a doggy bag, b/c "J" kept threatening to run away...and would bolt for the door.
My three were as good as gold during the meal. Mary was acting oh so grown up about it. Ben was just sort of confused...he didn't understand why "J" didn't want to use his blue crayon that he was offering. He also couldn't understand why "J" wouldn't look at or answer him. Luke (2) was completely oblivious to the whole situation! :)
My girlfriend was as cool as a cucumber! After 7 years, she has become quite adept at handling "Js" meltdowns. But for me...my heart broke for her. As a single mom (dad walked out b/c he can't "handle it") she must just be exhausted every night. I'm sure some days are better (or worse) than others...she told me that she wasn't surprised that he melted down...b/c A) they were visiting a foreign city and B) he had swam all day at Great Wolf Lodge making him exhausted.
It was only when seeing this child in the company of my own, that I realized how very isolating autism truly is...both for the parent and the child.
Thanks for sharing your SPED wisdom with your readers!
Val
Thanks for posting this, Melinda. I've read some interesting books that were written by high functioning austistics. It's a nightmare for them also. One girl had no idea at all what was going on. She couldn't understand what people were saying to her for a long time - so she couldn't respond correctly - like into her 20's... it's sad. Take care, Linda
ReplyDeleteMy daughter works with children who have autism, and yes, it is a puzzle! Thanks for spreading awareness!
ReplyDelete