For our family, we have "segments" to the day: breakfast / morning, mid-morning, lunchtime, afternoon, mid-afternoon, late afternoon, suppertime, evening and then night (before and after midnight). Each of these segments can provide enough, we'll say... "entertainment", for anyone. The time of day, mood, light, sensory input, etc. can greatly affect kiddos with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). Truth be told, many things can seem fine to anyone else and yet be something completely different in reality.
Most people who have autistic kiddos know, or learn, that there are certain things the kiddos will do, won't do and then things they must "learn" to do. For instance spectrum kiddos: will usually stim (self-stimulating behavior) when overwhelmed; don't usually understand metaphor's; must learn how to fit into a world that does not know how to accommodate them. Unless you spend time with a person, you'd probably have no clue they are on the spectrum by just looking at them. Unless of course, you deal with someone who has ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).
Most people look at the boys on a good day and say how adorable they are (I think so too, but I'm just a little biased). They might see two little boys enjoying themselves or simply happy boys. They may notice the chewy in the mouth, but wouldn't really understand why it's there- think it's odd. Then (2nd pic) they might see two little boys interacting together, having fun. They probably wouldn't see the vests they are wearing, or have any clue why they were wearing them.
One of the things I finally figured out about my boys, they can be very manipulative. Many people are under the false impression that because they don't lie (unless taught) they aren't manipulative. I'll give you an example, while doing ABA, if they don't want to work - they both will sit back, act like they don't know something and wait for the instructor to give them the answer. We found this out by "testing" them in different ways. Sure enough we found out that was exactly what they were doing. They know that if they don't answer within a certain amount of time, the instructor will say the answer for them - or model it. So, in our case, they've learned to wait them out - a little longer than we'd normally wait for them to answer.
We've also learned (despite some clinicians claims) that our boys are not as intellectually disabled as they think they are. For example, they've figured out how to get around almost every "childproofing" item we've used. We still have to use them for a lot of different reasons, but we have to be more creative. They've also figured out that if mom says no, they ask daddy - it's a good thing mommy and daddy are on the same page. :)
People who don't know someone on the spectrum, will usually have no clue what it means. I try to take the time when I meet someone new with questions about autism, to answer any questions I can. Not only does it (hopefully) help them to understand a little, but it may give me an idea for a blog. I have made a point to watch the boys closely for behaviors, likes and dislikes, signs for behavior changes coming, etc. If I hear of a new topic regarding autism, whether it's relevant to us or not, I will research it. There are so many exciting discoveries happening, but also a lot of misleading out there.
From a mother's heart - My mission is to be an advocate for my boys and autism. To let others see a glimpse into our family, to let others know that things are not always what they appear.
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