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How to help your child discuss autism

Chelly C

My son is 7 and on the asd pathway. Both us and school are confident he’ll get a diagnosis. School are amazing and he goes on a socially speaking course and confidence workshops. 

We have bought him the Max and Me sensory processing book  and this has helped him understand why his brain gets overwhelmed. 

I have tried to talk to him about autism and how this gives him gifts others don’t and is why he gets confused at social situations and shown him “amazing things happen” on you tube. Everytime autism is mentioned he growls and won’t talk about it. 

I haven’t forced the issue as have thought he’s just not ready. But as he’s getting older he’s noticing differences and his understanding of social situations is getting worse and I’m worried that he seems scared of having autism and how he’s interpreting this based on his reaction. 

Has anyone else experienced this and, if so, any advice will be gratefully received! 

  • in reply to Disambiguating Cynosure

    I hugely appreciate this reply! He takes a little while to process information and so I played amazing things can happen several times as other than the word autism he was transfixed with it. 

    He is absolutely attaching negativity to the word and says people hurt his feelings but he’s like the little girl in the programme and can’t say. Specifically that he loves his friends but he hates being tagged as he thinks he’s being hit. 

    He let me talk about the things he can do that his friends can’t like his incredible memory and visual recall and that these are things he finds very easy that others find hard so I’m glad we’re on the right track. I do talk to him like an adult too as he prefers it. He deals in facts and direct language which is a gift too! 

  • https://community.autism.org.uk/f/parents-and-carers/11698/explaining-diagnosis-to-son-who-doesn-t-like-to-share-books/

    (For what it is worth, I see this, recall a Thread not so long ago, and that is the link to it, there. Upon that Thread, I posted links to a lot of YouTube stuff and the Thread seems to have the Child at aged7 as well, with something from NAS. Also, look at the "Related" section underneath this Main part.)

    Also, Based upon your own opening Post, I would advise treating your child like an adult, and associating the word "Autism" with something confusingly-positive... like being able to percieve Things and Frequencies which Non-Autistics cannot percieve. You know your own child better than I do (!), and so I would say to steer the term "Autism" towards Curiosity and Pleasant Experiences. When there is a "growl" or whatever, then abandon that direction and try to see why from his point or view.

    (But I am not a Parent! Sorry as always to upset anyone, etc. etc. ...)