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"Hidden"
Disabilities Provoke Rude Comments
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I have a beautiful 6-year-old granddaughter who is in the
autistic spectrum. Because she looks
"normal" we, as her family, have to
endure some rude looks, stares and
occasional comments from people who
think she is a spoiled brat when she
has an occasional meltdown. It is hard enough to raise an
autistic child, dealing with all the
various issues she has on a daily basis, without the blatant
rudeness of people who these days are
quite vocal about saying things they seem
to think they have a right to say.
After reading Laura Echevarria's op-ed, I decided to send a
comment ["When the one child in 166 is
yours, autism casts a giant shadow,"
Jan. 5]
I have a beautiful 6-year-old granddaughter who is in the
autistic spectrum.
Because she looks "normal" we, as her family, have to endure
some rude looks, stares, and
occasional comments from people who
think she is a spoiled brat when she
has an occasional meltdown.
It is hard enough to raise an autistic child, dealing with all
the various issues she has on a daily
basis, without the blatant rudeness
of people who these days are quite vocal about saying
things they seem to
think they have a right to say.
Fortunately, the older she gets, the less frequent these
meltdowns are, but she still has
quirks. Her social skills are
improving.
If my granddaughter had Down syndrome, were blind, or had some
other obvious physical disability, I
doubt that her parents would have to
endure what they do now.
With the rate of autism being one in every 166 children, people
need to be made aware that the child
they see behaving in a bad way may be
a child who is living in a mostly nonverbal world, and
that is the way they communicate their
displeasure or discomfort. The
meltdowns normally don't last very long.
When appropriate, we will calmly inform someone (recently,
airport security--when she didn't want
to take off her shoes and had a
meltdown) that she is autistic, and we're sorry for the
commotion.
We find that once the person is made aware that they are dealing
with an autistic child, their attitude
towards the child and us changes, and
it is a much more pleasant experience.
In this day of political correctness, perhaps everyone should be
given the benefit of the doubt first, before
the dirty looks, shaking heads,
and comments are made.
I don't think she should have to wear a "scarlet A" identifying
herself as autistic before she gets accepted by
judgmental people.
Linda Philpott
Lake of the Woods
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