Autism: Play Nice!
When teaching our children, neuro typical or children with autism, what are the things we stress when it comes to dealing with others?
PLAY NICE!
SHARE!
DONT SAY MEAN THINGS TO OTHERS!
IT'S NOT ABOUT WINNING!
NO NAME CALLING!
NO BULLYING!
EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN WAY OF DOING THINGS!
Simple everyday rules and guidelines such as these are the mindset we try to impart to our children. Children on the autism spectrum struggle with these concepts more than other children. The interpretation of these words may be obvious to us but not as easy to decipher if you are a child on the spectrum. We as adults are charged with explaining the meaning of these phrases to them and giving examples of how to implement them in their daily lives.
I believe it's called: SOCIAL SKILLS.
So why then why do I see grown adults, most of them not on the spectrum totally ignoring these rules? And to make it worse, these are folks in the autism community. Lately I've seen family members of persons on the spectrum, reduced to tears over the rude, hurtful, bullying comments made by others.
We are all on the same team so where is the concept of "play fair" amongst us?
As we all communicate in the hopes of providing each other knowledge and support, can we not remember that "we all have our own way of doing things?" If you do not agree with a parent with regard to a treatment, medicine or behavioral approach, by all means say so, but be constructive, not destructive.
Every parent has their own vision for their child. You do not live in their house, you do not know their child as they do. Of course I've seen parents talk about treatments or procedures that they use in the hopes of helping their child that I, myself, would never dream of trying. But that's "MY" opinion. And you know what they say about "opinions".
So as you hit the "playground" of life tomorrow be kind to your friends. It's about "winning" for each family member not "winning" the argument. It's about giving the "high five", not pointing the finger. It's not "popular" vs. "unpopular" team and it's certainly not
DODGEBALL!
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