Statements from parents with an autistic child
"You get nervous to go anywhere because you’re afraid of what he (the autistic child) will do."
"I wish people wouldn’t judge. It’s obvious when someone has a physical disability, but our children look normal. I feel badly when someone tries to "give him five" and he doesn’t respond normally."
"It makes me feel like I am a bad parent."
"You’ll never know how much power you have with your words – how much they can hurt us or heal us."
"My son once said, 'I think there’s something wrong with me… like they (other people) don’t like me.' I’m sad when I think of that."
"Having a child with autism has taught me how much Heavenly Father loves all of his children, and how all of us are special to Him no matter how talented or ‘un-talented’ we may be."
"Nobody will play with my son. Even if one child would come for 10 minutes and play video games, it would make a big difference."
Once my son wrote, "They think I’m dumb, stupid, and I don’t care anymore. And it makes me tired holding all my muscles from emotions and makes me sick and tired and frustrated." I wish he didn’t have to face such a confusing world.
"My child had a very caring teacher one year. I asked him what made her so special and he said, "Because she understands kids like me and she loves me anyway.' It may
not seem like it, but these children understand who cares about them."
"Autism takes such a toll on the family. It is rare to enjoy a pleasant family night, evening meal, or family outing. We try to make it as normal as possible, but autism affects the whole family."
"My child responds differently all the time. One day he will respond one way, and the next day, it will be different. Don’t expect the same reaction, but keep trying! Parents and close family get a different reaction all the time as well."
"His face will not match his emotions. He may be happy, but he will look sad."
"They are all so different. If you have met one autistic child, you have met ONE autistic child."
2 comments:
I HAD to comment on this one. My sister has an autistic child and I have seen many of the things you talked about. You are SO RIGHT about how different each autistic child is...just like other kids. There is nothing that hurts me quite like seeing my nephew hurt, and nothing that makes me smile quite like when he is happy. Good luck on your journey. You and other parents like you are AMAZING! So is he.
Sadly, the human race has not matured sufficently to make us all one family, with each of our own peculiarities. That's why we have lables; they make us feel more "normal". My grandson is the best; he has a great sense of humor, is kind and extremely intelligent. I wish we all were a little more like he is. It is sad that humans seek to notice what is perceived to be different in others to achieve self assurance.
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