"He doesn't look like he has autism."

Autism doesn't have a look but if someone says this to you or asks other questions, how do you respond? 

Here are somethings I have heard in my journey with my son: 

• Your child doesn’t look like he has autism.
• But he seems so normal 
• My son does the same things or My daughter does the same things
• Are you sure he has autism or is he just acting like a little kid? 
• Are you sure it’s autism or does he have behavioral issues and needs more discipline?
• Maybe he’ll grow out of it, it’s just a phase.

Have you heard these things too? 

It’s important to remember - We may not have control over what people say, but we do have control over how we respond. 

How do you respond to people when they say something like this to you? 
Do you respond at all? Do you get defensive? Do you respond and take the opportunity to educate, advocate and sing your child's praises? 

Let’s take a step back and consider these things....

People who have never heard of autism or had any first-hand experience with it just don’t know what they are talking about. 

They’re not educated on the subject. 

Listen in on ways you can respond, it really is up to you at the end of the day. 

They may be trying to help, or trying to navigate this with you (or for you), they may THINK they are helping, but they don’t know what they’re doing. 

Autism doesn’t have a look. You might not be able to tell just by looking at them if a child has autism, and for those of us who live this every day, we know our children the best, we know their challenges and as long as we are supporting them, that is really all that matters. 

If you can relate to this, please subscribe or follow this podcast so you never miss an episode. And I’m curious, How would or do you respond when people say this? I’m curious...DM me @susanfink.rise. I really would love to hear from you. 

My mission is to help as many people as I can and I cannot do that without you. Thank you, thank you thank you for listening, thank you for your support in sharing this podcast to help others. And until next time, I appreciate, I empathize, and I am here for you. and...We...can do this

Reference mentioned in episode: Article from the Huffington Post: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/to-the-people-who-think-my-son-doesnt-look-like-he-has-autism_b_6760886 

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