This list comes from Ellen Notbohm’s book Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew.
It’s simple, yet so important to remember so I thought I would reproduce it here.
- I am first and foremost a child. I have autism. I am not primarily “autistic.”
- My sensory perceptions are disordered
- Remember to distinguish between won’t (I choose not to) and can’t (I’m not able to)
- I am a concrete thinker, which means that I interpret language very literally
- Be patient with my limited vocabulary
- I’m very visually oriented because language is very difficult for me
- Focus and build on what I can do rather than what I can’t do
- Help me with social interactions
- Try to identify what triggers my meltdowns
- Love me unconditionally
- Patience, Patience, Patience (ok, there are 11 things, not ten!)
