Jiro

Hi all - the purpose of this thread is for you to educate me on how to interact/act/approach autistic people (of all ages) because I'm attending another biker rally for autism. and also please do list some WHAT-NOT-TO-DO and WHAT-TO-DO. The only thing I know about autism is that they think "differently" and they don't like to look at people in the eyes.

EDUCATE ME!

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Deafness

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DeafLissa90

There was an austitic boy at my primary school, since experiencing Ben, I'v always been interested in Autism and how it works. Ben had severe autism and was totally deaf with an implant. He communicated through PECS(Picture Exchange Communication System) and some signs

It would be great if some people on here could educate us about it! I know there's many types of autism such as Asperger's Syndrome which is also High-Fuctioning Autism.

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Bottesini

Don't touch.

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DeafLissa90

Here's some information Jiro, but Im sure other people may have more info

The National Autistic Society - What is autism?

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Jiro

thanks for link! I was hoping to hear from ADers with firsthand experience with autistic people/family members because I'm only interested in specific information - to interact with autistic people.

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DeafLissa90

I just thought I'd give you a bit of information.

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Jiro

it is good. it gives me a good background on it.

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deafbajagal

Treat them as you would any other people. They are people firsthand who just happens to have autism.

Some people have austim do and will maintain eye contact. Every person is very individulized when it comes to autism...what works for some may not work for others. The best advice I can say is be yourself and approach them with an open mind and even more open heart...and you will discover some of the most amazing people you can possibly meet.

Jolie77

I commend you on for coming to ask about this. Really, That would be helpful for others to get an idea of how to interact with autistic people of all ages.

Autistic people are just like us. We may view them out of the norm but it does not mean that they should be treated differently. Treat them as you normally would do to others.

Although, I'd advice you that if you ever happen to see an autistic person doing such said behavior like, not looking at your eyes, or doing such tantrums, may lie down inappropriately, scream, or cry or whatever it is - DON'T give stares of disapproval, shaking heads and accusatory looks because that also can create an uncomfortable situation. Speaking of that experience, I've often got that from others whenever I'm out in the public with my son.

Don't talk down to them. Talk to them as you normally would do to one another. Give a smile, shake hands with them, be proper.

You'd be surprised how open they can be at times.

Also, This is a blog that is well worth reading. It will give you an idea and such into depth of Autism Etiquette -- Water, No Ice Autism Etiquette

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“Tough girls come from New York. Sweet girls, they're from Georgia. But us Kentucky girls, we have fire and ice in our blood. We can ride horses, be a debutante, throw left hooks, and drink with the boys, all the while making sweet tea, darlin'. And if we have an opinion, you know you're gonna hear it.” - Ashley Judd

deafdyke

Actually some experts think that Asperger's is distinct from HFA.
Like an Aspie would be a stereotypical geek. It's related to autism, but it's not autism per se.
It's more like the learning disabilty version of autism. Whereas HFA is more like "mild MR" version. I'm not saying that Aspies are learning disabled or that HFA are mild MR........just saying that those are the functional equiliants of their disabilty.
I hate hate hate how every single "social delay" is automaticly labled as being "Aspie"............People with learning issues often have social issues that go along with their learning issues, that aren't really too Aspie.

bbnt

My oldest daughters job is working with autistic kids, but I am sure
she should be able to come up with some kind of a reply for autistic
people of all ages. I will email her and post her response.

dreama

I'm mildly autistic myself. I have asperger syndrome although I don't think it really shows much.

I find it easier if people are direct with me. Polite phrases such as would you like to" when you actually want them to do something is completely lost and can only add to confusion. That phrase completely threw me when someone first used it. I also find sarcasm hard to understand. I'm aware people use it but often find it hard to get.
I also find it hard when people change plans. It tends to throw me.

I think Autistic people tend to vary a lot. Some might want you to communicate in differant ways like with a board as they don't speak although I speak. So that varies.

Also be aware that Autism on the asperger level is very much an invisible disablity so the people you meet might not look or act 'autistic' at all. Sometimes you can't really tell.

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Jiro

wow! thanks for link. it is very rich in info on what to do with autistic people and how to meet them.

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Braydens Mom

My son is Autistic. For him, communication is mainly ASL and pointing. He doesn't mind being touched, if it is his idea. He follows a strict picture schedule. If you deviate from it, he gets very angry, He also does not understand "catch phrases".. Like, I'm going to tickle you to death, or don't take your eyes of that. He will look at you.. but will not hold a gaze... mostly looks through you like you don't exist.

In my experience, with my son and other children at his school, the direct approach is best. A lot of people with autism can't hand the over stimulation of group settings too. When dealing with children, you need to know (or understand) that they do not always have control of their emotions. Anger and frustration especially. You need to determin if they are being "Bratty" or it is out of their control. With Brayden, if he is over stimulated, he has a major melt down. Screaming, kicking, crying.. Difficult for onlookers. You get the bystander who will stare, make comments on how the child should be dissapplined. They have not clue as to what is really happening. Luckily, I have become immune to the comments and stares.
People with autism are extremely intelligent. They just have a difficult time focusing on conventional means to communicate their knowledge. Brayden tends to hyper-focus. When in this mode, it is extremely difficult to get him to change tasks. Disturbing him during these times, will result in a fight.

His therapist once compared Autism to this: Imagine driving on a busy highway, the weather is horrible. Rain is coming down in sheets, so bad you can't see in front of you, even with the wipers on high. Your cell phone is ringing, the kids are fighting and screaming in the back seat. The radio is blasting thrash metal music. You have a friend sitting beside you trying to talk to you.... You know what needs to be done, but can not communicate your needs to anyone in the car.

It is difficult to filter out what needs to be filtered. The description fits several disorders I know.

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dogmom

The people I have worked with who happen to have autism were quite varied in how the issue manifested itself, but this is what I personally found <realizing that not every person with autism or having an autism spectrum disorder will display all or many of these>

I have noticed that people with autism CAN be very sensitive to changes in the environment, to sensation/texture and just certain stimuli, like a certain color;

someone who has autism may function quite well a lot of the time but can have extreme difficulty with social cues and may take things quite literally;

difficulty with social cues may involve- eye contact as was discussed - making "small talk"; problems matching name to face or vice versa even if it's someone they have known for many years; difficulty entering or ending a conversation; difficulty catching any kind of humor/sarcasm.

difficulty making transitions/trying new things.

These are just things I've experienced - doesn't generalize to everyone with autism -

Jiro

thank you guys for educating me. i'm aware that there are a huge range of autism and the degree of it varies among the individuals. Since this is rally event - I do not think the people with severe-form of autism would be attending it but I'll find out for myself! I'm simply asking for general & common autism etiquette for all and I think I got my answers but do please keep it coming

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dreama

No problem. I wish you luck with the Autistic people you meet.

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bbnt

Here is my daughters response.....


The first thing that you should know is that Autism is a spectrum disorder which means you will never find two people with Autism that are the same. There are some people with Autism that seem just like you or me. On the other hand, there are some people that may not look you in the eye, may have little to no language, may have extreme social deficits, and may have severe maladaptive behaviors. This is what most people think of when they hear the word "Autism"- kind of like The Rainman

I would advise you to treat these people like anyone else. Having said that, if you run into someone who seems to be socially awkward or you aren't sure how much they understand, perhaps you can give them a smile and a hello. If they don't respond, don't take it personally and don't let it discourage you. I'm sure there will be plenty of people there that you will be able to converse with and maybe even learn something from. The world through the eyes of someone will Autism can be extremely enlightening. So, don't hold back and try not to let a few quirks get in the way of having a good time with great people.

For more information on Autism, go to CARD Home.

Mrs Bucket

Always remember that those with Autism are just like us.

They are not hypersensitive. They deal with a lot of things much more than we do.

Autistic people in my opinion need to have their personal space and their personal space needs to be respected by others.

Communicate with them and understand their meltdowns. There are needs for those meltdowns. Sometimes we trigger those meltdowns.

One thing we need to understand is that we cannot use perfume, cologne, hairspray or anything scented around autistic people because they have very sensitive noses & prone to act out because of the scents.

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Babyblue

On of the girls on my Daugher's softball team has an autistic brother.

He is a wonderful sweet boy! He does not communicate well verbally. When I met his mother. She told me he is autistic. And does not speak often or well. She said he does sign. I told her I sign. I have never seen a kid light up so much when I started signing to him. He does fairly well with sign language.

It was awesome.

I talked to him like I would talk to others. He talked mainly about his sister playing ball.

Jolie77

You're welcome.

I too thought it was very rich in information and it was too good not to be passed around.

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“Tough girls come from New York. Sweet girls, they're from Georgia. But us Kentucky girls, we have fire and ice in our blood. We can ride horses, be a debutante, throw left hooks, and drink with the boys, all the while making sweet tea, darlin'. And if we have an opinion, you know you're gonna hear it.” - Ashley Judd

Jiro

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Jiro

I'll remember to smile and be encouraging - whatever the circumstance is.

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Jiro

I think I pass the sniff test. I don't wear cologne or whatsoever because I do have heightened... olfactory??? sense.

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Jiro

that's awesome. I was actually thinking of signing to autistic people along with talking as they are very visual-based but I wasn't so sure because when signing - you have to make facial expression and from what I read, they are acutely sensitive to glaring and "negative" facial expression.

I suppose I'll keep a happy face while signing and talking.

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lsfoster

Yeah, Asperger's is quickly becoming a handy "go-to" category for a lot of kids. I remember when my brother was diagnosed with it when he was little, we'd never heard of it, and neither had almost anyone we talked to. Now it seems to be a much broader and more common diagnosis.


Otherwise, Jiro, I think people have given wonderful advice. I really think if you just try to treat them the way you would anyone else, you'll be fine. People have said that every autistic person is different, but so are non-autistic people. When you meet someone, you try to get a feel for what makes them comfortable, just do the same. Some people, autistic or not, like eye-contact, others don't. Don't try to follow any hard "rules" about meeting them, just try to be respectful, polite, interested, and the rest shouldn't even be a problem. And good luck! I hope you have a great time!

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Jiro

Here's Travel Report

I did not get to talk to any autistic people but I did see a couple of autistic kids. This was a fairly small sizable rally - with about 100 or less bikers.

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dogmom

Jiro, for pic.'s! Was it mainly local people?

Jiro

yep.

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