Any family who has children with Autism gets treated a little differently - by neighbors, by people at church, by kids at school, by strangers in the store (now that one gets me!), by everyone. People don't know how to take their odd behaviors. Adults will get snippy, be rude and tell you to "get your child under control". I usually had no problems putting those adults in their place rather quickly. It's the kids that had me in tears late in the evening. Having a 3, 4 or 5-year old kid walk up to you and say "Why does he sound like a puppy?" or "How come he talks funny?" or "What's wrong with him?" will tear your heart apart into shreds. Thankfully, both my boys can speak eloquently now and both have become (relatively) pretty good at disguising their stims. They have quirky senses of humor, but they can blend in. The hardest years were between the ages of 2 and 7 for both my boys. Now they're old enough to know they have Autism. They know they have to work harder to fit in than most people. They know that their stims can be upsetting or distracting to others and that they really have to try hard not to do them when they are around other people. They know they are loved and adored by family, and if they completely fall apart at home after having worked so hard to keep it together out in the public, it's quite alright. We are their soft place to fall.
