Too often people may not support those affected by autism simply because they don’t know how.
It can be an uneasy feeling when learning that a friend, family member, or neighbor has been affected by autism in someway. There is the fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. Then there is also the uncertainty of not know what the right thing to say is. Autism parents want your support but its hard for them too.
This is why we put together this list. Here are 5 ways to support an autism parent
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1. Be Inclusive – Encourage parents to participate an event or activity. Even if you don’t think they’ll show up, even if they may “not fit” with with the rest of the group. It would mean so much not only to the parents but their kiddo as well.
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2. Don’t Judge – Parents are doing the best they can every day. Children with autism are not “dumb” but sometimes behave in a way outside of the normal standards and that’s okay. Sometimes parents may not look the most attentive to their kiddo. Just remember you don’t know the whole story.
3. Get Educated – Learn more about autism. Just learning more about the ways autism manifests itself can help you become a better ally. (P.S. Skip tagging them in all the articles you find.)By just doing this you are light years ahead of most.
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4. Maintain Confidentiality – Just because you know a kid has autism doesn’t give you permission to share that info with everyone. It puts the child and parent in a position to be judged by people they may not even know. You may also be taking away their child’s ability to fit in with their peers by pointing out that they are different.
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5. Advocate – Parents and children who are living with autism face significant stigma in everyday life. You can help politically or socially. Help parents by speaking up on behalf of them and their children. It is a gesture that won’t soon be forgotten.
Hope you found this helpful.
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Is there something we forgot?
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Positive Pathways provides ABA services to children on the autism spectrum. We provide in-home, center based and school based services in San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties.