We don't have the plague! - Venting....

[Guest guest]

Does anyone have a younger (2-4) child with ASD and if so, have you tried to

keep them

active in any playgroups? If so, has it been successful? How have other kids

treated your

child? How have parents treated you or your child? Am I being unrealistic in

thinking that

other people with neurotypical children might be able to handle being around an

ASD

child? I just got back from a playgroup through a local moms club and I don't

think I could

have felt more like I had 10 heads than I did. Even though my ASD was fairly

well behaved,

it was still weird. Maybe I am naive to think that adults can be adults. My

child is rather

high functioning and I'd like to have him around typical peers and I was my

younger

typical child to also be around typcial children...but I'm beginning to think

that this is a

lost cause.

Anyone else out there experience this? Have any words of wisdom and/or

encouragement.

[Guest guest]

Marsha,

I feel your pain and I know it is difficult. Even though a lot of

strides have been made regarding autism awareness, I think we still

have a long way to go to make a change in our culture. People are

naturally afraid of what they don't know and I think as parents we

just have to keep plugging along. I would continue to go to the

playgroup and keep him involved and if he does anything that makes

people look at you oddly just smile and say " dontcha just love three

year olds " or something like that. I also think that as more of the

moms get to know you they will come around and want to learn more

about your child and hopefully it will inspire them to be more

accepting. I also learned along time ago that it helped to foster

some friendships with families that were in the same boat - having a

child with ASD. It helps sometimes to be able to go somewhere with

someone that knows what it is like and you and your child can just be

yourselves without feeling the pressure to " be like everyone else. "

Don't give up - you are doing a good thing for your child and you need

to get him with typical peers whenever you can. I think mostly it is

their problem and not yours. Just my two cents.

Stacey