Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew

by Ellen Notbohm

Some days it seems the only predictable thing about it is the unpredictability. The only consistent attribute, the inconsistency. There is little argument on any level but that autism is baffling, even to those who spend their lives around it.

The child who lives with autism may look “normal,” but his or her behavior can be perplexing and downright difficult. Today, the citadel of autism, once thought an “incurable” disorder, is cracking around the foundation. Every day, individuals with autism show us they can overcome, compensate for, and otherwise manage many of the condition’s most challenging aspects. Equipping those around our children with a simple understanding of autism’s most basic elements has a tremendous effect on the children’s journey towards productive, independent adulthood. Autism is an extremely complex disorder, but we can distill it to three critical components: sensory processing difficulties, speech/language delays and impairments, and whole child/social interaction issues.

Here are 10 things every child with autism wishes you knew.

Freelance writer and consultant Ellen Notbohm is a columnist for Autism/Asperger’s Digest and co-author of 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders (Future Horizons). She favors “common sense” approaches to raising her sons with autism and AD/HD. She lives in Oregon.

Thanks to those of you that have written/called to express your support. No eye jammies required yet! Always nice to be reminded that your mother reads your blog every now and then, though. Yikes! And Bowerbird??!?! Who knew he was even still alive?

We’re doing fine, relatively speaking, getting things in order to ensure India gets the services she needs. It’s been stressful, and if I’ve been even more out-of-touch than usual, it’s mainly because I’m retreating to the bare minimum of extracurricular activities to keep me sane, if not terribly social. I’m heading to Philly this weekend to cover the Wizard World Convention, then the countdown begins to a relaxing week down in VA at my mother’s house. Almost tempted to not come back! Almost… 😉

PS: Madagascar sucked! Shrek was a fluke, apparently; Dreamworks isn’t anywhere near the same league as Pixar or Disney. Looking forward to Wallace and Grommit and Chicken Little next. And, of course, a little independent movie called Batman Begins!

Written by Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Guy LeCharles Gonzalez is the Chief Content Officer for LibraryPass, and former publisher & marketing director for Writer’s Digest. Previously, he was also project lead for the Panorama Project; director, content strategy & audience development for Library Journal & School Library Journal; and founding director of programming & business development for the original Digital Book World.

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