Being a Friend

http://www.geocities.com/growingjoel/friendship.html

     Something that I have found is that being friends with a kid who has autism is not easy. Sometimes they can become annoying, too quiet, or some might even say too weird. Autism is something that these children can not help. The pointers listed above may help you. When I read them I noticed that they were all reasonable. Such as one of the first ones: "We do not like crowds". My best friends cousin is autistic and I babysit him quite often. At home he is very talkative and we play board games, video games, jump on the trampoline, hide and go seek, and ride bikes. Sounds normal, right? Well once I went to the Homecoming parade with him and he was a total different boy. It was very hard to hold on a conversation with him if you could even get one at all. He seemed overwhelmed. Everything was flashing before him, the people, the floats, the cars, and the candy. I didn't know this side of him until I put him in a crowd. Another section I found interesting was: "Don't be easily offended". I unfortunately learned this one the hard way. I used to have a very bad face complexion and he did not understand this so he asked "Jenni, what's wrong with your face?" of "Jenni, why do you have red dots on your face?" It's something that you have to understand they can't help. They do not mean to insult you, in a way they are just being curious like any other child.
     A lot of times, you will find autistic kids sitting alone, whether they are playing with toys or not, they are alone. We might find it weird but that is where their comfort is. He or she does not mind sitting alone. Sometimes it helps them gather their thoughts so never should you feel insulted if you are declined when asking if one wants to join in a game or activity.
   It is also so important for people to be able to answer questions that autistic kids may ask and for us to be able to ask autistic kids about them. Do not get annoyed if the question to you is dumb or stupid, they are asking you because they trust you. Also, ask them questions about autism that you do not understand. It is a way of showing them that you are interested. They would rather have you ask about why they act the way they do than just assume that they are weird. It is just like respecting them.
     One of the most important things to me is to be understanding of that child and their past. You do not know what there past has been like. Be understanding and comforting, and most of all, do no ignore them, they are humans, and it hurts to be left out or ignored.

Special Needs

http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/friend/special_needs.html#


The article above is an article that I found really interesting. I found it interesting because not only does it tell you what "special needs" is but it tells you why kids with special needs act the way they do and what they go through, and what you can do to help. I have always found kids with special needs interesting because I see that they do not get love from everyone and I can be that friend that they need or teacher that helps them learn. I also know some kids with special needs who are very close to me and they are so important in my life. I learn new things about them every time I am with them. Everyday is an adventure. Sometimes in a good way and others in a stressful way but that just makes me want to spend that much more time with them. I not only teach them, but they also teach me and I find that extremely important for people to realize. Everyone knows that kids with special needs are in this world but a good number of people don't take the time to get to know them and that is why I enjoy being with them so much.

Why do certain autistics seem so different from other autistics?

http://www.aspergerinfo.com/asdescription.htm

     To many people Autism may just be an annoying disease that they know nothing about other than from the movie Rain Man. What many people don't know is that Autism runs on a spectrum. It's not just autism. There is also a kind of autism called Asperger's.

     Asperger's is the highest-functioning autism. Most people with Asperger's or AS can still speak and understand what others are saying it is just harder for them to understand when they should talk and what they should say. Most people who are diagnosed with Asperger's are very smart. Seeing the movie Rain Man and looking back on that may help you understand that Autistics can be very smart. But then again, not all of them are. I personally, know quite a handful of children with Asperger's syndrome. One of the boys almost scares me because of how smart he is. Mind me, this boy is in the 8th grade and has the entire periodic table memorized and also has plans to become a Doctor just like his father. But, not only does he want to become a Doctor, he also has plans to take over the world, and he will tell you exactly how he plans to do this. 

     I also know other children with Asperger's and even though they are very intelligent it may not stick out to you like it would when I explained above. You will also find that a lot of people do not even realize that some children have Asperger's. A lot of times you find any average human shy in public or not knowing when to speak. This is why sometimes people do not even realize it. Also, from my own experience I have noticed that the children I work with are most comfortable working in routines. For instance, the kid I babysit like to have his fan on 3 every single night. Once I turned it on 1 because it was a very cold night and he knew right away that it was not on 3 and insisted that I turned it on 3 for him to fall asleep. This 8 year old also loves playing video games but each time him and I play he insists that the volume is turned all the way up on the 'DS' and that the door to the room is closed. If it isn't closed it's almost as if he can't enjoy his game anymore.
 The one thing that I do not like about Autistic people is that they have trouble finding the humor in a simple joke. It is very hard to use sarcasm with them because a lot of times they take it seriously. For example, last night I was playing Cars 2 Monopoly with a boy who has Aspergers and when I passed 'GO' I was supposed to retrieve 2 dollars. I jokingly said "You owe me 12 dollars for passing GO!" and he pulled out the directions to make sure that he was right by giving me 2 dollars. He didn't find the humor in my sarcasm or even realize that I was being sarcastic. Every once in a while when you do catch a laugh it makes you feel really good about things because you know that they are enjoying themselves and it makes you feel like they can be just like any other human being.

     Not all autism is the same. Even if you are comparing two human beings with Aspergers you will find hundreds of differences in one another. That is why I find every single one of them interesting in their own way!