(an article from Applied Behavior Analysis)
Sometimes our children find it difficult to communicate their challenges to us. This article addresses some of the universal issues they may experience but may not personally share with you.
t is estimated that one in 68 children are now diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum disorder, and yet, this diagnosis remains as misunderstood as ever. We simply do not live in a society that is accommodating or even accepting of those who are not “neurotypical.” Fortunately, parents of autistic children are wonderful at communicating who their children are and why. Below are 30 things those parents of children on the Autism Spectrum want you to know.
Not all autism is the same, and neither is every child with autism.
It’s called the Autism Spectrum because autism actually covers a wide scope of complex disorders in brain development. Included are Asperger’s Syndrome, “classic” autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, among others. The types of autism range in everything from communication skills, anxiety, social interaction, and repetitive behaviors, among other things. As with any kid, a child with autism should be treated as an individual with his or her own set of abilities and preferences.
Just because my kid doesn’t look like another kid with autism doesn’t mean he’s not on the Autism Spectrum.
As one parent wrote on the popular Autism Speaks blog, “Knowing one child with autism doesn’t mean anything really – they’re all so different. Please don’t tell me my son doesn’t have [autism] because he looks so different from the other kid you know on the Spectrum.”
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