Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi looking for some advice, my 5 year old child who has been diagnosed with autism. He is a lovely cuddly little boy who can at times get frustrated and lacks social skills to interact well with others in class, the school is very happy with his progress and haven't reported any issues at all.
i was approached by an angry parent on the school grounds who was accusing my child of pushing their child and said it was on a regular basis. I told them to speak to the teacher and stayed back to chat to the teacher myself. I was told that they weren't aware of anything happing at school and they had no concerns with my child.
a few days later the parent approached my child directly in the playground and told him not to push her child. i spoke to them directly this time and asked that they not speak directly to my child but to the school and that I had been advised that there is no issue with my child. To which the parent said they chose to believe what their child was telling them.
i am unsure how to deal with the situation as Im being told there isn't an issue by the school but this child is going home telling its Parents things that aren't really happening. The parent told me that MY childs behaviour isn't normal and this really has upset me - I am at a loss and sick of crying about this all the time. I dread going to the school incase another thing happens. Because my child has autism there is always a chance he can act out but he's adamant he's not doing what he's being accused of.
Anyone had similar situations?
What I hope you guys know as parents of kids with autism (and this is perhaps from a limited observation - nonetheless...) is that your kids in school are benefiting the other kids in so many ways. You should be so proud of the yourselves and your kids - I have been working now over 2 years with one autistic child and all the other kids in the class have benefitted so much from him being in the school - they love him to pieces - he's lucky perhaps, in that I am there as a 1-1 to explain to them his reactions, difficulties, and also his wonders, his abilities, his freedom from convention. I have been so amazed at the capacity of 5-6 year old children to be understanding and caring - but this is not one sided, the child I look after is really caring - yes he gets stressed, yes he misunderstands sometimes, but at heart, thay are all kids who love to play, who love to laugh - this, to me is true education - learning that there is diversity and that that is a wealth. There will always be some prejudice, but in general - these kids and you wonderful parents are creating a better world for us all to live in, well done!