I wrote about this a few years back…
What do you do when you see another parent out there with a child YOU can tell is not neurotypical?
I get so “excited,” because I want to somehow let them know that “I get it.” I’m on a similar parenting journey.
Do you try to connect? Do you even mention it?
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[Sometime in 2018]
I made this meme after seeing another parent struggling with her kid. I knew her situation and helped the best I could.
But how do you approach another “Ausome parents” out in public?
So guys, this happened to me the other day.
Jonah was going on a ride at the mall with another little boy who looked to be about the same age as Jonah and who, to me, was CLEARLY autistic.
Not in a way that most others would pick up on, but in ways that I’ve learned to identify as “autistic traits” from Jonah’s tendencies.
He was covering his ears on the ride (which Jonah often does). He wasn’t verbalizing anything (also similar to Jonah in most situations), he was “hand-leading,” and when they left, he was “tip-toe” walking, which, I understand can be a sensory thing to some autistic individuals.
I wanted to connect with those parents, but I didn’t know where they were with their journey. I didn’t want to assume.
I mean, what would I say? “Hey, is your child autistic?”
Even if he was, what if they hadn’t considered it yet? Or would they take it as an insult?
I never know how to broach the subject with other parents.
Should I just lead out with Jonah’s autism?
One time I tried to connect with another mom who I KNOW has an autistic child, and I tried to break the ice by talking about how Jonah doesn’t really understand social boundaries, hinting at Jonah’s autism, (he was getting right in the face of another one of her other kids) and she came back with “oh, all kids his age do that…”
Like… “I’m trying to break the ice with you, MOM… throw me a bone here!”
When you see another Ausome parent out there, how do you let them know that they are part of your tribe if you aren’t sure they know it yet?