A friend was excited that her family finally had a chance to rent a cabin in a little family beach resort for a weekend vacation. Their teenage daughter with autism seemed to enjoy the drive so the family was hopeful about having a calm vacation. But their optimism vanished when she began screaming and shouting once they checked into their cabin after supper.
Sometimes it is good to step back and take a close look at our expectations for our children, students, or friends with autism. It is often necessary to provide support and guidance in many facets of our friends’ lives, but we need to be careful not to impose our preferences needlessly.
Part 1 of this discussion introduced the concept that parents, teachers, and others use more than words when giving instructions. Sometimes individuals with autism are not able to pick up on vocal tone or facial expression, and other cues that help individuals know that, for example, Mom really means it when she says, “Come to the table.” Because individuals with autism sometimes miss nuances and social cues, they may not follow instructions.
At best, individuals with autism often struggle to translate all the signals we send. For example, most kids can distinguish the urgency of directions their parents or teachers give, but children with autism may not catch all the nuances. How can we help our friends with autism know that we really mean it?
Although some individuals with autism do not like swimming or even taking a bath, others love water so much they must have been born in the ocean. Now that summer is here, let’s look at some fun ways to enjoy water, especially for our friends who are unable to tolerate crowded public swimming pools.
Fireworks are a fun part of many summer celebrations – ball games, outdoor concerts, amusement parks, and other big events. But many individuals with autism react to random, loud noises by screaming, scratching, throwing objects, or running away. How can we help our friends enjoy the colorful visual patterns and brilliant bursts of light in a fireworks display?
Sometimes we have to pick our battles. There is simply not enough time in a day to address all the issues that arise in the lives of many individuals with autism – challenges in social interaction, communication, sensory sensitivity, repetitive rituals, obsessive interests. So how can we prioritize all of that?
Sometimes we get so involved in plans and strategies that we forget the simple pleasures in life. Taking a casual stroll with our friends with autism gives you a change of scenery and a break from your daily routine. And walking is free, easy, and simple. So, take a break and take a walk.
Sometimes we lose sight of the ultimate goal. It is easy to get so focused on dealing with a problem or teaching a new skill that we forget about the “personhood” of our friends with autism.
Because literal language is a characteristic common to autism, we might want to think carefully about terminology we use to avoid miscommunication.
Art by Paul Howell and music by Bill Clark. Both Paul and Bill are diagnosed with autism.
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