TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR INTERACTING WITH KIDS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM...
by Mari Nosal
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mari-nosal-m-ed-cece/15/b06/95b
https://twitter.com/marimouth
1. Thou shall not yell when speaking to me.
My disability does not impair my hearing and I am extremely bright. Perhaps even brighter than you are.
2. Thou shall not ignore me, talk negatively about me, speak
unnaturally slow, or ask questions to others in the room that pertain to
me. I can comprehend what you are saying just fine.
3. Thou shall believe in me and help me believe in my skills and self
worth. Note the good in me and do not merely point out my negative
behaviors. Believe in me and I will believe in myself.
4. Thou shall not perceive me as dumb.
I am extremely intelligent. I do not learn in the same way as you, and
maybe not as quickly as you expect me to. Have patience with me. Once I
recall information, I never forget.
5. Thou shall not judge my behavior.
I can get overstimulated in certain environments. I may be
hypersensitive to sound and loud noises may hurt my ears. Fluorescent
lights are distracting for me. They have a humming noise, and can
pulsate. All the noises in a room can blur together. Please make
accommodations to help me.
6. Thou shall not be so quick to scold me.
Do not tell me that “I know what I did”. I do not. Tell me what my
infraction was in a simple, concise manner. I want to please you, but I
have difficulties inferring meaning within a vague statement. For
instance, do not say please clean up your bedroom. Tell me exactly what
you want, such as ‘Please make your bed and pick up your toys”.
7. Thou shall not compare me to others.
Please remind me, and note the talents that I possess. This increases
my confidence and positive self worth. Learning disabled or not, we ALL
have talents to contribute within society. I need you to help me realize
what mine is. Believe in me and I will believe in myself.
8. Thou shall not exclude me from activities.
Please do not mimic me, ignore me, or bully me. Please invite me to
play with you. It hurts my feelings when I am excluded. I like to run
and jump in the playground, and be invited to birthday parties too.
Grownups can help me make friends by encouraging other children to play
with me. I can be a loyal friend if you get to
know me.
9. Thou shall give me choices.
I do not like being ordered about any more than the other children.
Give me choices so I know you value my capabilities and opinions. Make
them simple and concise. Present two options or so. I get confused when
too many questions or directions are given at one time due to my
processing speed. For instance, ask me if I would like to wear my blue
sweater or green one, rather than asking which sweater I would like to
wear.
10. Thou shall not judge me by my diagnosis, but by my character.
I am an individual, just like other children. As my son used to say,
“Mom my name is John (name changed for his anonymity) not Asperger’s”. A
profound statement I would say. :-0)
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