Last night we were at a birthday party for a neighbor's son. There were 7 kids playing in the basement (including Frankie and Anthony). Dominic couldn't stand being left out and demanded I bring him downstairs LOL. I walked him down and he started running around with the kids. A little girl came over to me and pointed at Anthony and said "Does he have autism?". I said, "Yes, he does." She pointed out another little boy and said "So does he." I asked, "Is that your brother?". She said "Yes, he gets upset when he (Anthony) doesn't get his way just like him (her brother)." She said "It's hard, isn't it?" I said, "Yes sometimes it is". She then asked "How do you think they get it?". I said, "I think they're born with it". And off she went to play with the kids.
I found the whole thing very interesting. I went upstairs and told her parents what she asked me and her Dad started to tell me that his son had autism. I explained that she told me that. The dad sounded a little embarrased (that his daughter said that). I told her parents that I thought she was a budding ped neuropsych and probably had a great future ahead of her. I said she should be in schools now helping out - she's smarter than most adults. Plus, her directness was refreshing! Her dad said "She doesn't have a filter". LOL. I told them I wasn't the least bit put off and thought it was funny.
That's awesome. It's refreshing to see that some of this generation of NT children have some understanding and tolerance of autism. When we talk about autism awareness, I often think we need to focus our energies on children, as these are the kids that will eventually be side by side with our kids in the workplace and the world and the more they understand the better it will be for our kids.That is one perceptive little girl. She has got the right attitude and she is
My nt oldest dd (16) never wants to talk or hear about autism at all!
She gets really annoyed at me for being so obsessed on the subject. She had to see her little sister have years of so much attention & therapy when she was the only child for almost 10 years so I guess it was really hard to deal with. I wished she was empathetic to the struggles Sarah has to make but she seems to feel she is fine and even antagonizes her sometimes
I guess in the scheme of things it is good to have someone that sees her without labels or limits:) A little more patience would be nice:)
What an amazing little girl!! She is definitely the future for autism awareness. I hope the parent's praise her for her efforts! They should definitely be proud, not embarrassed.What a perceptive little girl!!!
My almost 9 y/o stepdaughter has to be constantly assisted on how to play with my son. If we don't help her to play with him, she just sits there. We have explained to her that he is different, and what autism is like, but I don't think she gets it.
What a cool kid. My niece is like that. Wish more folks were like that kid. Life would be much easier.What a great story! My 7 year-old NT daughter knows that her brother (4) has autism but does not truly get it (a little too young to, really) here's an example:
We were watching Nanny McPhee and when the children were going nuts in the kitchen (prior to Nanny McPhee's arrival) my daughter asked if they were autistic.
She links his misbehavior to him having autism (which is largely correct, but not the whole story. :)
It's great to see and meet siblings of autistic children who are like this . It is also great to have one who is just like that . We get compliments on my daughter all the time because of the way she interacts with her brother , small children ,and other kids she meets with special needs .
WOW I just loved this story...thanks for sharing.
Karrie
That is one AMAZING 9 year old! Her parents should be so proud!
My 5 1/2 year old daughter is just like that! When she talks to other kids and they don't talk back to her, for what ever reason, she asks me if they have Autism. We include her in all the therapies and educate her all the time. At this point she thinks all families have a child with autism
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