When we go out in public, it’s always a potentially interesting situation. Luckily most people are more accepting now than 20 years ago when we started.
While coming back from a family vacation, we stopped of at a fast food restaurant for dinner. We typically have my eldest order for himself. It helps him practice interacting with other people.
After he ordered his food, he left to do his own thing while waiting for his food order to come out. The girl who took his order asked us after he left, “Can I ask you a question? Is he autistic?”
I remember her having a smile on her face, which isn’t something I normally see when someone asks that question.
“I ask because my baby brother who’s 16 is. I just wanted to ask a question or two if that’s OK.”
We let her know that yes he was on the spectrum. I remembered how my wife and I had always said that we’d answer any questions we could to help others learn more about people on the autism spectrum.
She was nervous because her brother sometimes acted out because of frustrations. We told her that it doesn’t happen as much – we think because he’s not going through puberty. Remember how rough that time was for you, now imagine not being able to talk about the changes happening to you, nor necessarily being able to understand it.
We told her it wasn’t easy, but it was worth it to work with him and help him out. But at the same time, he’s not going to outgrow it – and yes he still sometimes has outbursts. The difference is that it’s as a full sized adult, not a child. But we will continue to work with him, and help him manage himself during those times, because we still love him.
