The Unexpected Gifts of Autism
It’s not uncommon for parents to feel a new kind of love once they have a child. Now imagine that your child struggles to speak, is easily overwhelmed, or doesn’t play well with their classmates. It’ll take you time to figure out the best strategies and methods to incorporate these challenges into your home life. But it’ll take far longer for your community and extended network to accept and understand how they can help and support.
Autism is often described by its deficits, but today on the blog, we are going to describe autism in terms of blessings and positive opportunities that we are given through an autism diagnosis. Having a family member with autism provides opportunities for us all to learn and teach traits such as acceptance, understanding, and compassion.
Acceptance
Acceptance is a big step when receiving an autism diagnosis. It can be difficult for your child, but also for yourself and your other children. Acceptance is possible and once you’ve accepted the diagnosis, you will be a powerful source for helping others. You may be able to help other families accept an autism diagnosis. Or, you may be able to educate fellow members of your community on ways to include and treat people who may be different than themselves.
So, what are some ways you can help others accept autism? One of the easiest things you can do is talk about it. You can address questions such as ‘What is autism?’ and ‘What are some of the characteristics of someone with autism?’. The more it comes up in conversation, the more comfortable you will be discussing it.
In addition, the more you speak about it, the more educated you will personally become on the topic. Personal education is another way you can help others accept autism. The more you know, the more likely you are to share. Speaking with your friends and family members is a great start.
Understanding
As the world learns more about autism spectrum disorders, there will naturally be greater understanding. You can help expedite this understanding by doing what you can in your community. Your community can include the town or city you live in and the friends you have around the world and connect with via social media, email, and phone.
Depending on where you live and your availability, you may also have opportunities to host an informational meeting at your local library or put on a small fair with booths sponsored by local organizations providing autism resources and services. This type of event is a great way to get factual information out there. As people learn the facts about autism, they will more likely be able to understand someone with autism and understand what the families may be experiencing.
As you speak to the network of people in your life, we encourage you to teach them specific things they can do to support you and interact with your child. Some may hesitate to be involved in fear of saying or doing the wrong thing, but through your specific invitations, you have the power to help them learn and grow. In turn, this will provide great opportunities for your child to interact with more and more people.
Compassion
It can take time for you to adjust to the unique challenges an autism diagnosis can bring to you and your family’s life. It’ll take even longer for extended family members, friends, teachers, and community members to adjust and learn how to interact with your child. Through thoughtful communication and opportunity, it’ll happen.
As these people spend time with your child, they will undoubtedly learn many things from them including compassion and love. Many people with autism are extremely accepting of others and non-judgemental when it comes to things like social status, worldly accomplishments and career success. We could all use a bit more of this in our lives! Your child will be a great example of loving others and not passing judgment.
As we address and remember the positive aspects of autism, we can influence the opinions of many. We can help employers seek more diversity in their office. We can help open doors to new opportunities for children and adults with learning and physical disabilities. We can influence our community to help it be more inclusive. We can also influence change in how support is provided to families with autism.
There is a saying we love that says, “autism is proof that love needs no words”. Whether or not your child speaks, does not inhibit your ability to love them. As you spend time with your family this November during the month of gratitude, we hope you will find new ways to express love to each other.
