When you meet someone who’s a little bit different from you, that might scare you or make you feel uncomfortable and that’s okay. Because anything new is a little difficult at first but once you learn more about it, you get used to it. Because then you have the knowledge and knowledge helps you to understand and understanding makes it easy to accept.
All of us are different. No one is exactly the same. We all have our own talents, characteristics, strengths and challenges. Hence don’t address them as “Autistic kids” they are just born with Autism which is just one part of their amazing personality.
Autism can mean a lot of different things. Some kids who have autism seem like a typical kid and it only impacts the way they act and communicate in certain situations. Sometimes with some kids Autism impacts the way they act and communicate all the time and sometimes autism impacts kids so much that they might not be able to control their bodies or communicate by speaking. No one knows for sure why kids have Autism. Scientists and doctors are working hard to figure it out. What we do know is that autism affects the way the brain and body works.
For kids who have Autism their sense, thought processes, communication and body movements happen differently. It causes them to experience the world in a very unique way. Autism isn’t a birth defect. It’s not a disease. It’s not contagious. Autism is just something that they are born with. It’s something they live with and they will have it for their whole life.
Every kid is unique. Seeing the world in a unique way can be great. Historians believe that the famous artists, Pablo Picasso and Michelangelo both had Autism. They created amazing works of art with the way they saw the world. So our uniqueness makes us who we are. Autism it’s not a processing error, it’s a different operating system
Understanding Mental Processing and Autism
Everyone’s mind is like a computer; different operating systems and different programmes, creating unique strengths and challenges. For an autistic mind, our programme for social interaction doesn’t come with a standard upgrade like everyone else’s. It doesn’t just work as we gain experience; we need someone with an upgrade to create a manual just for us and teach us how to read it. We have the programme, and we want to connect with others, we just don’t know how. Without this upgrade, every time we start, it takes too long to load the commands.
All the movements, actions, sounds and images; every little thing that happens between people, it all races across the screen as a jumbled mess of foreign code. It’s a secret language that everyone else seems to understand. Our social programming takes all our system’s energy just to try to decode, which means other programmes freeze up; emotions, thoughts and how much our senses take in.
Our system still receives everything from the world around us, but the programmes to make sense of it all don’t have enough power to run. With social interaction taking up the processing, everything else lags behind. The system overheats, and we shut down to save ourselves, which is what we call a meltdown – too much information and not enough energy to make sense of our world.
Empathy and Understanding
Educate Yourself: Learn about autism and the unique challenges individuals may face. This will help you gain a deeper understanding of their experiences.
Listen and Validate: Take the time to listen to kids/adult with Autism and validate their experiences. Avoid dismissing their feelings or trying to fix them.
Practice Patience: Understand that everyone has different communication styles and may need more time to process information. Be patient and allow individuals to express themselves in their own way.
Use Clear Communication: Use clear and concise language when communicating. Avoid using figurative language or sarcasm, as it can be difficult for some individuals to interpret.
Celebrating Differences
Kids/adults with Autism have unique strengths and abilities that should be celebrated.
Focus on Strengths: Identify and encourage the strengths and talents of autistic individuals. This can boost their self-esteem and provide opportunities for growth.
Promote Inclusion: Create inclusive spaces where everyone feels accepted and valued. Encourage participation and collaboration among individuals of all abilities.
Raise Awareness: Educate others about autism and promote acceptance by sharing stories and experiences. This can help dispel misconceptions and foster a more inclusive society.
A – Acceptance (Accept People for who they are),
U – Understand (understand through knowledge)
T – Time (give them time to do things at their own space)
I – Include and Invite
S – Special interests (kids with Autism enjoy talking about certain subjects, welcome their conversations
M – Memories (allow them to make memories with you in their own way)
(The writer is an Obstetrics and Gynaecologist Surgeon. She is also the Senior Counsellor of Army Wives Welfare Association)
