Faye

Living a life with an autistic child can, at times, feel like an isolated existence. Ironically, if you think about the characteristics of autism, which include social impairments, then I suppose you could call the whole family Autistic, right? I say this with a chuckle. (Only endearment here!). Anyway, I was just reading another mom’s post about a recent trip to a restaurant with her family. She has a daughter with Asperger’s syndrome, and fears restaurants. She frequently depends on her own parents to accompany her and her three children on these over-stimulating, messy, and loud excursions. She expressed that her most recent experience was actually a joy and she came home proud of her children, including her daughter for being so well behaved. She also mentioned that she often feels alone in her wild little world, as if her daughter is the only one who acts “autistic”. Ha! My response to her was that little does she know, I am with her, sitting in my own little autistic world on the other side of the restaurant. It makes me wish that the next time I enter an eating establishment, I could ask at the door “anyone in here autistic? Anyone? Great! Nice to meet you.”