The Everyday Autism Series

Our twenty-first century world is not made for autistic children (or adults) and, despite the increasing rate of diagnosis, many people have no idea what autism actually looks like or the impact it has on the whole family.

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I call it the ‘difficult gift’ because when we look beyond the obvious challenges, many people living with autism also have a gift of wonder, focus, and emotional sensitivity that could transform our perspective (if we let it). Many autistic children look completely normal… until something happens that upsets them and they simply lose control. For those around them this is an everyday reality and it can be upsetting.

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Eating. Playing. Getting dressed. Going shopping. Special occasions at school. Interruptions to imaginary play. Family events. There is always the sense of: “What is going to happen next?” which adds extra tension to the day when you are with an autistic child.