A few Simple Ways to Support Autistic Individuals and Their Families
April is Autism Awareness/Acceptance month. Here are a few simple ways to support autistic individuals and their families:
6. Reach out – Whether it to be a friend or family member or neighbor who lives down the street. Reach out. Say hi. Get to know them. And even if right now you say you don’t know anyone who has a child on the spectrum, you do. Family member, friend, neighbor, co-worker, school peer. We are out here. Get to know us. Ask questions.
5. Invite – I don’t know why exactly but often, when you have a family member with a disability…the invites slow down. I always use the example of birthday parties. My son Cooper is 11 years old and loves birthday parties more than anything. He’s been invited to one and the little girl is an autistic peer. That’s it. And I don’t know why he hasn’t been invited to more. Call your kid’s school. Ask about the kid’s that integrate into the general education rooms but aren’t always included. Include them. This goes for your neighbor’s too. They want to be invited. Maybe they won’t come. Include them. It goes a long way.
4. Educate – Read a blog. Buy a book. Watch As We See It on Amazon Prime. I would never expect anyone to be an expert in autism. But know that every day you will encounter an individual on the spectrum. Whether you are a nurse or work at a grocery store. And knowledge is power. Knowledge helps bring comfort and reduces the fear of differences. And teach your kids kindness! It goes such a long way.
Here is a link to my book! https://amzn.to/3DmTVpF
3. Teach – Go to your child’s school and ask if you can read a book about autism to a class. Or just donate one. Or ask your child’s school what they are doing during the month of April. This goes for work too. Most companies have diversity teams now. Ask if you can present or if they can find an autistic speaker. Lastly, every April we have an ice cream sundae party in our driveway and share autism without our neighbors. It’s a great time for them to ask questions. And it’s fun too!
2. Tell – This one is for families who have an autistic member. Tell people what you need. This is a great time to do it. So many family members, friends, even neighbors want to help and advocate and be supportive. But they don’t know how. Tell them. You know what I want? I want someone to pick up my son once in a while and take him through the drive thru for an ice cream cone and to go watch trains. He would love it so much and it would mean so much to us for him to have an outing.
1. Talk – Talk about autism. Calmly. Kindly. And with courage. If your child is having a hard time at the store, explain to the person behind you in line. Start a conversation. Tell Aunt so and so about autism. And Grandma and Grandpa so they can share with their friends. Share information. Photos are great. My first April with autism in my life I shared photos of what autism looked like in our home. People learned so much and thanked me after.
These are all such simple things to do to help shatter stigmas and educate the world.
Remember, when you advocate for one child, even your own child, you are advocating for many. And if we ALL do that we can make such a difference.
Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and join our supporter page, Coop’s Troops, for an amazing community full of support and understanding.
