The Unseen
Autism does not always look like hand flapping, humming, and no eye contact. It sometimes looks like an overly affectionate child with a total lack of personal space.
It does not always look like a non-verbal child playing by themselves. It sometimes looks like the highly social child with a large vocabulary that misses simple social cues.
Autism can sometimes look like the overly obsessive child with extreme interests (insert Minecraft, My Little Pony, or Laren Daigle to name a few).
Autism sometimes looks like a child throwing a tantrum in the middle of a gathering because their pants “feel weird”. It sometimes looks like a child screaming, angry, and confused.
Autism might be look like the 8-year-old wide awake at 3am because his or her mind will not shut down and the melatonin isn’t working.
Autism can sometimes look like essential oils, sensory diets, picture schedules, and tip-toeing around multiple meltdowns daily.
Autism can sometimes look like a mama educating insurance companies, fighting the school system, and advocating for services all because her child’s delays do not seem large enough on paper.
Autism is not always obvious. It is not a cookie-cutter diagnosis. Autism can look a thousand different ways, a thousand different times. It is a spectrum, and each person with autism is different.
If you’ve met one person with autism–you’ve met one person with autism.
Stephen Shore
Sooooooo………
Next time you see a mama fighting an unruly child in public… do not pass your judgment or offer discipline advice; because, some differences are not seen on the outside.
#autismawareness
#autismmom
#highfunctioningautism
#pickledproverbs
#sweetandsour
**Disclaimer, this article is not intended to offend anyone who is on the spectrum; it is instead written to help advocate and educate the importance of accepting all individuals with differences. **
For more information on high-functioning autism, visit https://www.healthline.com/health/high-functioning-autism
Amanda
This hits home with me. Emily would ask invasive questions just trying to work everything out in her mind. I’ve always visualized her building family trees in her mind as she gained information from others. One of the most hurtful comments I ever heard “don’t look like anything’s wrong with her”. This was said when I was trying educate someone after they were offended by one of her questions. This was many years ago. Emily is now 18 and is still interested in genetics.