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| What Does Autism Look Like? |
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If you want to know what an autistic child looks like, look at your own child or grandchild. Look at the children who live next door to you and take a glimpse at every child you walk past on the street. These could very well be the faces of autism. There is no visible indication that a child is affected by this disturbing neurological disorder. Autism is the king of all tricksters. I know this to be true because whenever my husband and I take our son to the store or doctor’s office, the looks of disgust we receive in response to his unruly behavior never let up. Unless we inform someone, and we always have to, no one has a clue that he is autistic. Autism (pronounced awe-tizem) is an illness that affects social and communication skills. Some autistic children have a hard time playing with others and making friends and some can’t talk. Many autistic children display behaviors that may include: repetitively pouring liquids from cup to cup, spinning around and not getting dizzy, not wanting to be touched or hugged, lining up toys and screaming for hours. Of course, every autistic child is different. There are varying levels of this disorder and that’s why it is called a ‘spectrum’. My seven-year old, who is on the low end of the spectrum, is nonverbal and is only able to show me what he wants by taking me to it or bringing a picture to me. The fact that he can’t communicate is the reason for most of his severe temper tantrums. Right now, no one expert has been able to confirm what causes autism, but one thing is certain: bad parenting IS NOT the cause of this impairment. Unfortunately, you still have some who are ready and willing to wave the idea around that a parent can inflict autism onto their child. There are a few people I know who are still quick to say that there is nothing wrong with my son and he only needs to be disciplined. Although such an accusation hurts deeply, I now understand that it doesn’t matter who these people are, or how well educated they may think they are on the subject of autism; no one can truly comprehend what it’s like to raise an autistic child unless they are raising one themselves. So far, my husband and I have laughed in autism’s face while celebrating our eight year-old’s honor roll status and our seven year-old finally waving hello and goodbye. We’ve shown and proved that autism will not come in between our dreams of normalcy and happiness. When you see children in the grocery store shrieking at the top of their lungs—don’t be quick to judge the parents. Looks are deceiving. Take into account that it may not be bad behavior; it may be autism. Sheila Heard |