Not every day is great.
Once again, my family was off to Disneyland! Justin had drawn pictures for several charcters and cast members we saw regularly. He had put them in page protectors, signed the bottom, and slipped his new personal business card in the back. However, soon after entering the park, Justin's attitude began to falter.
The cast member Justin had drawn a picture for was not working that morning. The cast members there promised to give the woman the drawing, but Justin was disgruntled about not being able to give it to her personally. Figuring he would quickly get distracted, we began to make our way deeper into Disneyland. We quickly discovered that the characters he had drawn pictures for would not interacting with guests that day. We gave them to cast members and Justin was reassured that the characters would see and love his drawings, but he didn't understand why they weren't out and about.
Individuals who have been diagnosed with Autism can sometimes be easily overwhelmed by loud noises, crowds, and/or a divergent from a regular schedule. When Justin noticed that we were not taking our usual path through Disneyland, he was less than pleased. In a fit of momentary anger and frustration, Justin ripped out the autographed pages from his notebook of The Three Caballeros, his favorite characters, and threw them in the trash can while we weren't paying attention.
As the evening carried on, we began to take notice to his sudden heightened anxiety. We knew he was upset that we hadn't seen the characters he wanted to see, but now he was acting ashamed. Justin's autism makes it extremely difficult for him to convey what he is feeling with words. We have to pick up on his body language and rely on social cues to figure out what's bothering him.
A few hours later, he took out his notebook and silently showed us what he had done. When he saw the looks of disappointment on our faces, he immediately began apologizing, claiming it was just an accident. We assured him that we weren't angry with him and that his own actions were something he was going to have to deal with. He had thrown away something he treasured, and it was no one's fault but his own.
Some tears were shed but in the end, he understood. No one was angry and we all loved him very much. Plus, he learned a valuable lesson that things don't always go as planned.
The reason I'm sharing this story is because I want to make it clear that although there are varying degrees of autism and every person is different, Justin is still a young man. He has emotions, feelings, and impulses. He just doesn't always know how to convey what he is thinking. While someone else may loudly complain, explain, or happily go with the flow, Justin's methods are much more subtle.
People with autism should not be treated like emotionless robots.
- Jenni
Once again, my family was off to Disneyland! Justin had drawn pictures for several charcters and cast members we saw regularly. He had put them in page protectors, signed the bottom, and slipped his new personal business card in the back. However, soon after entering the park, Justin's attitude began to falter.
The cast member Justin had drawn a picture for was not working that morning. The cast members there promised to give the woman the drawing, but Justin was disgruntled about not being able to give it to her personally. Figuring he would quickly get distracted, we began to make our way deeper into Disneyland. We quickly discovered that the characters he had drawn pictures for would not interacting with guests that day. We gave them to cast members and Justin was reassured that the characters would see and love his drawings, but he didn't understand why they weren't out and about.
Individuals who have been diagnosed with Autism can sometimes be easily overwhelmed by loud noises, crowds, and/or a divergent from a regular schedule. When Justin noticed that we were not taking our usual path through Disneyland, he was less than pleased. In a fit of momentary anger and frustration, Justin ripped out the autographed pages from his notebook of The Three Caballeros, his favorite characters, and threw them in the trash can while we weren't paying attention.
As the evening carried on, we began to take notice to his sudden heightened anxiety. We knew he was upset that we hadn't seen the characters he wanted to see, but now he was acting ashamed. Justin's autism makes it extremely difficult for him to convey what he is feeling with words. We have to pick up on his body language and rely on social cues to figure out what's bothering him.
A few hours later, he took out his notebook and silently showed us what he had done. When he saw the looks of disappointment on our faces, he immediately began apologizing, claiming it was just an accident. We assured him that we weren't angry with him and that his own actions were something he was going to have to deal with. He had thrown away something he treasured, and it was no one's fault but his own.
Some tears were shed but in the end, he understood. No one was angry and we all loved him very much. Plus, he learned a valuable lesson that things don't always go as planned.
The reason I'm sharing this story is because I want to make it clear that although there are varying degrees of autism and every person is different, Justin is still a young man. He has emotions, feelings, and impulses. He just doesn't always know how to convey what he is thinking. While someone else may loudly complain, explain, or happily go with the flow, Justin's methods are much more subtle.
People with autism should not be treated like emotionless robots.
- Jenni