AUTISM AWARENESS

LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS

The One Universal Rule You Should Know About Autism

By Laci Swann

“Please, please be kind to my son,” I often whisper to myself, nearly pleading and crying to a nonexistence audience under my breath as I unbuckle my son from his car seat to take him to the playground.

You see, my son is nonverbal, and my son has autism.

Autism, for our family, may look different from the next family, and that is because autism is not a one-size-fits-all diagnosis. No, not all people with autism are savants, and not all people with autism are nonverbal, either. For my son, a smiley, rambunctious, happy-go-lucky little fella, he appears neurotypical until you realize he may not want to engage with you or your child and does not yet respond verbally. So, afternoons at the playground or the trampoline park are often riddled with anxiety—not for him, but me. I see the confused looks when my son shrieks in excitement as opposed to verbalizing his joy. I see the distance people place between themselves and him when they can’t quite understand why he’s sitting on the ground and not engaging with the other kids. Worse, I hear the names people call him when they assume he’s being disobedient.

With that said, I came up with one mustknow thing that every human should know when learning about autism. Adults, parents, kids, teenagers, you name it, they will benefit from this "one thing," and the thing you should know is this: Be kind. I’ll admit – I’ve turned my head a time or 20 in church when I’ve heard a child scream, and I’ve certainly looked surprised when I’ve seen a child throw a tantrum in public. Life is funny, though, because any time I’ve cast judgment or let my facial expressions speak for me, I’ve been humbled twice as much, and as the mama to a child with autism, I can truly say that there is absolutely nothing that would make me cast judgment upon another. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, I realize there’s one universal rule that would do us so much good, not only during Autism Awareness Month but every day of the year, and that is to practice kindness. When a situation or circumstances seem confusing, alarming, and unfamiliar, train yourself to react in love. Consider biting your tongue and, instead, showing more grace. Also, feel free to ask questions. Speaking for myself, I welcome the opportunity to educate others on autism. We’re all this together, this as in life, and the same way autism is not one-size-fitsall, neither is humanity. So, let us practice kindness without needing a reason.