Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone,
I would like yo ask some tips and advises on how you could teach your autistic child to hold your hand when crossing the road? Do not run across and wait? My little one stops for a second, but she just does not understand the risk of road crossing and she does not want to hold our hands. Also, she just runs across without hesitation. There was a time when we carried her across and she went back, because she wanted to cross the road on her condition.
Could you please share some good practices?
Peoeple used to tell me that I was too lax with my child and should act "like a parent and not a friend".
And it was quite true up unless this sort of incident arose, in which I would suddenly become very fecking Authoritarian indeed. And with me "Authoritairan" is different from getting angry or annoyed.
In fact delivery of my brand of Authoritarian-ism was often humourous, when I could manage that, but it was an absolute determination that I would prevent my (ADD) child from endangering herself.
I made "discipline" rare but mandatory, and ALWAYS was willing to furnish an honest explanation for it's neccessity, (none of this "because I told you so" crap, that never washed with me) either up front, or if compliance was a matter of urgency, then afterwards.
Naturally her first Roman Catholic primary school didn't thank me very much, partly 'cos of the ADD but mainly because she'd request further information if she felt she was being "railroaded" into something... We had her out of that one inside of two weeks..
Other parents and teachers consistently told me how wrong my approach was and that I was "spoiling" her. She's all grown up now, sucessfull in life, has a lot of good quality friends and functions WAY better than I ever did as an adult...
I also did my damndest to make sure I delivered on any promise I made,and did not let her down even if it became hard to deliever.