Interactions

Thoughts during Autism Acceptance Month 

Today has me thinking about how we interact with one another.  A lot of how we relate to people is from watching other people interact with each other, repeated exposure, learning from our mistakes, and reading body language.  It is quite a process when you think about it.

People who are on the autism spectrum tend to have a lot of difficulty with interacting and relating to others.  These are skills that must be learned, and it can be quite arduous.  Many autism programs have social skills as the main part of their curriculum.  Some kids on the spectrum are able to be integrated into the regular curriculum classes.  And if you are fortunate enough to live in an area where they have social skills groups/classes outside of the school setting, you can have your child participate.  

Often it is up to the parents of the autistic child to arrange for opportunities to socialize. For example, before COVID, we have had Lulu participate in Girl Scouts, special needs soccer, Special Olympics swimming, and sometimes the after school programs at her elementary school.  We have tried to have play dates with both her schoolmates and with neuro-typical friends. At each event we don't force her involvement the entire time...instead we try to have her do something little, like simply eat snack with the other kids, say hi to someone, or sing along with the group.  Little by little we are making progress...each time she participates a little longer.  It helps that people try to understand what we want to accomplish with her.  

So don't be afraid to try to talk to someone who has autism or who has a child with autism, or to arrange for a play date for your neuro-typical child and the autistic child in his/her class. You are helping out far more than you may realize, and plus, you never know what all of you may learn!