What a Neurotypical Teen Sees; What an Autistic Teen Wants Them to See
This post was created with the help of my 17 year old son Ryan, who is autistic. Thank you Ryan for offering your insight as you continue to take on a world that you struggle to understand and that struggles to understand you day in and day out with such courage.
There are a number of therapies for ASD kids. It might be a second toy or a few words to introduce language to the game. The goal is to create play that goes back and forth between parents and child to encourage more communication and add something new to their play like they teach at autism respite. It should help them grow emotionally and learn how to better focus their thinking.
As a mother of a teenage son with autism, I often wonder if the reason my son spends so much time alone, is because the world, especially the world of teenagers, doesn’t understand him. Sure, my kid struggles to understand some of the social rules of teenagedom, due in part to his autism, but, how can we expect neurotypical teens to interact with our autistic teens if we don’t educate them on some of what they may see?
Ryan and I came up with a few examples of what a Neurotypical Teen (NT) might see and what an Autistic Teen (AT) might want them to see:
NT: Oh, that autistic kid is sitting by himself again. Guess he prefers to be alone.
AT: Yeah, sometimes I’m afraid to take a risk socially because I’m worried I will mess up, and sometimes I do need a break from people, but, sometimes being alone is lonely.
NT: Check it out, the autistic kid is talking to himself again.
AT: I kind of am talking to myself, (it’s called “scripting”), but, that’s because I am remembering a funny movie, meme or YouTube video. If you ask me, I might share it with you and make you laugh too.
Read more – Difference Between Neurotypical Teen and Autistic Teen
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