Light it up blue! April is officially here. April showers, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, this month is also Autism Awareness Month.
The general public is becoming more aware and more accepting of autism as the years go by. However, there are still some misconceptions. First, I'd like to start with some statistics. autism affects one in 62 children. Yes, you read that right. That's a lot of kids. These kids also come from diverse backgrounds, so it would make sense that there are different types of autism—an autistic spectrum, if you will. No two kiddos with autism, or adults for that matter, will be alike. There are people with high functioning autism. Sometimes these kids perform very well in school, but lack necessary social skills. There are also people with low functioning autism. People with autism can be nonverbal and can function as a four year old mentally. One thing that the general public needs to avoid is lumping every person with autism into one category. No ones life experience is the same, so why should every person with autism's experience be the same?
Another thing that I'd like to address is that every child with autism reacts to certain things differently. Sensory issues are definitely a common thing. This may include certain colors, noises, foods, and textures. I had a kid at one of the camps I worked at refuse to eat anything but mac and cheese. Unfortunately, mac and cheese was only served once that week. He made due with other things that seemed to resemble a gooey texture. He would eat ketchup sandwiches. They were super nasty, but he ate them. He also liked chips. I also brought two types of sunscreen with me my first year of camp just in case a child liked the lotion over the spray-on and vice versa. I'm not saying we should let kids eat junk food all day or do whatever they want, I'm just saying that there is reason for only wanting certain foods. These kids aren't trying to be picky or trying to be disagreeable. Sometimes certain stimuli are too much to take in.
Sometimes certain stimuli or too much stimuli in general can lead to a meltdown. A meltdown is not synonymous with tantrum. These meltdowns happen because of a sensory overload or just being overwhelmed. These meltdowns do not have the end goal of a toy or junk food. The child is in emotional pain and needs a parent/caregiver/teacher's help. The kid crying and screaming at the grocery store could be having one of these meltdowns for all you know. So the next time you see a parent trying to calm down and soothe their obviously distressed kid, think before you make a judgment. What if in 10 years you're going through the same turmoil? What if in 10 years you have to defend your competence as a parent to complete strangers because of ignorance? We all have many things we're called to do in this life, but one call every single one of us has is to be kind. It isn't advisable to come up to a parent while they're dealing with a meltdown, but a smile from afar can always go a long way. That smile shows reassurance and that you're an ally. So with that being said, be kind, be aware, and light it up blue.
