From the article: How to Help a Child with Autism Take Part and Make Friends
Have you taken advantage of accessible programs for people with autism - such as special nights at the museum, special showings of movies, special afternoons at the skating rink? Have you gotten involved with inclusive programs that make your child (and you) a part of the general program? Share your experiences, and tell us why it worked (or didn't work!).
junebug
- thank you for this site...very good ...I am a grandmother of a wonderful 13 year old boy that has Autism...I am not really responding to an article. Just wanted to say that we have just discovered another on of Harley's great abilities. It is finding things that are lost...His sister had lost her glasses...They looked everywhere for them....He found them where she had stuck them in the brissels of her hair brush...They had looked for a long time...This is only one of the great gifts God has given Harley..
- —Guest Trixye Rich
Our experience
- We have not participated in specific outings or programs for autism. For instance a museum or theater, my son couldn't handle it prior to a certain age and going any old day or a special day would had made no difference to his experience. His experience would had been the same although maybe my experience wouldn't be per the looks and comments. Eventually, I would think all parents hope their child could handle such places and be able to follow the rules. It seems to me these "special" places encourages lack of coping skills or control over behaviors and makes it more endurable for the parent, maybe not so much for the child. When I found my child swimming lessons, there was choices for lesson size, less kids the more it cost so I chose a lesson size of 2 but during these lessons, all kinds of classes were going on within that same pool. It's not that my child with autism needed any different lesson than the other kids or a pool only filled with those who had autism; he just may had
- —Guest Sandy
My Community
- I grew up not knowing why I was different, always being the 'odd one out' in every group. (I was diagnosed with PDD NOS at 15.) I've never done autism-specific programs, mainly because most of the people putting those on seem to hold beliefs I find offensive, but I've done disability-specific ones. It's been a WONDERFUL experience. For once, I'm not the 'different' one, always negotiating my place and testing to see if they'll let me belong. In disability-specific activities, there's no question - of course I belong. These are my people, after all. I worry that in our quest for inclusion, we'll forget to let unusual kids experience being with their 'true peers' - kids like them. You shouldn't be shut out of regular society, but neither should you be cut off from your own people. I think every disabled child needs to experience a mix of inclusive and special programs.
- —Guest Ettina
High expectations
- We have not taken advantage of the numerous offerings in San Diego for kids on the spectrum for the very reasons you mention. I have high expectations for my son, and I find that this works better... Often he rises to the occasion. Yes, it is harder for me because of the looks I get or the prep time that goes into the activity (its not harder for him yet because he's only 30 months), but I find that exposing him to a range of experiences that all kids get to do shows him what's out there and gives him an opportunity to experience it on his own terms. We have him in a regular preschool, we do swimming lessons in a regular class... The teachers thus far have been happy to help us. I'll admit that spectrum only events scare me too... I don't want to focus on the future of where my son will be, I just want to meet him where he is right now. This is what works for us.
- —Guest Dana
