Autism Spectrum Disorder

by Suja Pisharody

 

Many a time I come across parents whose children are on the Autism Spectrum and they are trying their best to ‘normalise’ them and remove any trace of it. The child is not allowed to express any emotion by flapping his hands or laughing ( some kids do laugh excessively ) or do anything that even remotely suggests he has Autism. After all, he has to live in society and we have to follow all the conventions even if they don’t make sense.

The child is not allowed to have a meltdown (that’s behaviour issues you see & has to be corrected ), never mind the fact some kids genuinely have sensory issues and find it difficult to process loud noises, strangers or new situations. (Sensory Processing Disorder is real, people -but hey, who cares.)

Happy Childhood? Forget it kiddo, you need to fit into society so I will ensure you don’t have time to breathe and I will take you from one therapy to another in my effort to ‘mould’ you to fit into society.

It’s so easy to forget we are destroying their uniqueness and don’t even get me started on their self esteem.Yes, therapies are required for these children but at times just let them be and enjoy their childhood, it’s not going to last forever.

My son Dhruv has Autism and I am proud of the fact that me and Gopan are raising him to be proud of his uniqueness. Yes, he may be a little odd at times but aren’t we all? We are teaching him to socialise, be independent and empathetic towards his peers and that’s exactly what’s happening…we have a happy child who is eager to learn. He is learning as we are giving him space. He is making choices and knows his limitations and is not a spoilt brat.

I hope more parents learn to ‘accept’ Autism and stop seeing only flaws in the child that need to be rectified or ‘corrected’.

Don’t go by my post but do read the meme and think for yourself if you are a parent of a child on the spectrum and if you are making the right choice.

Have a great day!

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