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What it is like to be 'autistic

Meg the egg

Autism is like moving to a country with strange customs and a language you do not understand. You must learn the language over time but until you reach a certain point you will always be known as a 'foreigner'. Some will be 'racist' towards you some will not tolerate your customs. and some will be there to help you learn the language and customs of 'normality'. 
I had help learning the language but the customs and laws I had to learn on my own. People were at times not so tolerent of my behaviour. I felt as if I was not allowed to be the way I was. So I looked at how others behaved and I learnt from that. 
Even though it is a hard lesson to learn as such, If you can send your children to a mainstream school. They might struggle and it will be hard but they will grow stronger in the end. 

  • I also disagree with some of the O.P's points.

    I'm 32. I was diagnosed with Aspergers and show some A.D.H.D traits at 24. it was the third time I was assessed after some 'incidents' in primary and secondary school. Mainstream school for me was a living nightmare. firstly as they didn't have a clue with what to do with me. Secondly I went through 3 of them. I think mainstream should be avoided.

     

  • Some children may have no / little problems in mainstream. Others, no matter what the school tries to do, won't manage. Especially when the child has things like sensory issues. I know that if I had all the sensory issues I have now back in secondary school, I wouldn't be able to manage.

  • Meg the egg said:

    Even though it is a hard lesson to learn as such, If you can send your children to a mainstream school. They might struggle and it will be hard but they will grow stronger in the end. 

    I also would disagree with this, I do not feel it makes you stronger.  I found it very difficult in school and spent all my free time in the art room (a nice teacher let me spend my spare time and lunch's there). 

    Now my son 9 years is in a mainstream school and also has Aspergers, while the school is excellent and he has another child with Aspergers in the same class, I can still see a lot of problems.

    If you could have a school with just children with High functioning Autism and Aspergers, I think this would be better, but thats not going to happen so a good understanding school is the next best thing. Smile

  • Meg the egg said:
    Even though it is a hard lesson to learn as such, If you can send your children to a mainstream school. They might struggle and it will be hard but they will grow stronger in the end.

    This is the one and only part of your post I don't agree with.

    But I don't think that one should not send ones autistic child to a mainstream school, but rather, it is the 'they will grow stronger in the end' bit I disagree with.

    I went to a mainstream school, and I did not 'grow stronger', I merely became 'more hardened' - I built up a shell to protect myself and I withdrew from 'normal' society - I did not 'integrate'.

    However, I'm 39, was only diagnosed with Asperger's a couple of years ago, and went to school at a time when Asperger's was not well understood, so got absolutely no support.

    So, it would be better to say "If you can send your children to a mainstream school where they will get support. They might struggle and it will be hard but they may grow stronger in the end."

    Or, in other words, the mere act of sending your autistic child to mainstream school may not be enough - they are likely to need support if they are to grow stronger, and even with support they will find it hard, will struggle, and may, in fact, not flourish.