We do so many things throughout the course of the day. We wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, gather our stuff for the day whether it is work or school and head out the door. We drive, get a ride or take public transit to get to our destination.

Once we get to our destination, we have to hang up our coat, put away our lunch (if we bring it) and get our things ready to start our classes or our jobs.

There are so many things that go on in our mind between all the choices that we have to make by doing all of these things, more than I even mentioned.

If you live with autism or you live with someone who has autism, you begin to realize that there are many more things that go on and many more preparations that need to be made in order to just do what I described above.

For example, some kids/people with autism, need something called a visual schedule to remind them of the things that they need to do to get ready in the morning. This may be with pictures for younger children or words if the person can read. It could look something like this

Brush your teeth
Get dressed (Even broken down more may say, put on underwear, put on shirt, put on pants)
Wash your face
Eat breakfast
Put your lunch into your backpack
Zip up your backpack
Put on Your coat
Put on your shoes
Put on your hat

Hopefully you can see what I am getting at. Things that many of us do automatically are not automatic if you have autism. Of course, there are different variations for everyone on the spectrum and many times when you break down tasks, the person will eventually not need these reminders and will be able to do all of these things independently.

When our son was first diagnosed everything had to be broken down into smaller chunks. This made it easier for him to understand and it also helped him stay on task and guided him.

Today when he gets ready for the day, he doesn’t need any of these reminders, he just does these things on his own. My point is that our world is not designed for people with autism. It does not take into consideration the things that they need to be successful. That’s not to say that we are not making some progress, but for the “world” this progress is slow.

When you live with autism, even going into the grocery store can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate. There are many sounds, smells, noise etc. But we all must learn to navigate grocery stores because eventually we are all going to have to buy food.

I have learned so many ways to teach skills to my own children with autism- some by trial and error and some from professionals or just other people making really great suggestions on how to deal with some of these things.

Another thing that looks different and can sound different is emotions that people on the spectrum demonstrate and the way that it looks to others. Older kids can have meltdowns or scream which is not always socially acceptable. Parents of these children often feel helpless and judged, especially when out in public.

The world can be hard if you are on the autism spectrum, but one thing that I always remember is that God loves all of us. Also, I genuinely believe that people are good and want to help but sometimes just don’t know how. God asks to help each other and support each other. I personally always find that starting with a smile can go such a long way. When I see someone who doesn’t necessarily fit into the “Box”, the first thing I do is smile because I know that God created all of us exactly the way he wanted us to be. He does not make mistakes.

Matthew 7:12 says,

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,
for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

May God bless all of you today, in whatever you do and whatever you say. Let us show God’s love to each other every day.

Shelly Wedge
Exceptional Family Ministries Coordinator
www.amberleachurch.ca