[baddmammajamma]

Those of you who are my FB friends might recognize this as my current status.

Background:

A few days ago, my 7-year-old daughter had an ASD "meltdown" on school grounds. They don't happen often these days, but they still can occur.

There were a few grandmothers picking up their grandchildren on campus, and two of them shot me the most horrible looks and shook their heads, as if to say "Do SOMETHING about that brat, you horrible mother."

I am pretty used to people misinterpreting meltdowns, but for some reason, their stares and whispers really made me feel like crap.

Today, when I went to school pick up, an elderly gentleman who had witnessed everything pulled me aside. He whispered, "I have Aspergers. I understand. Is everything ok?" He then went on to engage my daughter about her current "passions," and they had a delightful conversation.

There is this awful myth and stereotype out there that people with ASD lack empathy and can't read other people's feelings or emotions...and that they don't care about others. This is not true.

As Aspergers guru Tony Attwood is fond of saying, people with ASD can and do have empathy -- they might just show it in different ways.

Anyway, if anyone in the universe is keeping score in NW Sydney, the tally is:

Kind Ol' Aspie Dude 1: Judgmental Old Biddies 0




Edited to correct my mangling of the word "Biddies"

This post has been edited by baddmammajamma: 29/11/2012, 08:56 PM

[dogged]

yay for kindness and acceptance and understanding

yah boo sux for judgmental sniping in all its forms

and 3 cheers for bmj and her tireless quest to educate and support others

[Escapin]

Yay for the old guy And a big eye roll back to the old biddies who have obviously lost whatever empathy that they might have once possessed.

[countrymel]

Yay for kindly man.

[librablonde]

That was such a nice thing to read, thankyou BMJ, you put a smile on my face It's great to hear of understanding and empathy like that example, what a lovely, insightful thing for that man to do

[ZombieMum]

[aggyw72]

Oh that's lovely!! Warms my heart! We have just got and Aspergers diagnosis for our 7 year old DS, so its nice to know the world is not a completely hostile environment for him.
Thanks for sharing

[opethmum]

Thanks for an inspirational post, I hope that I can do that some day to a fellow ASD when they are in difficulty. It really melts my heart !

[amabanana]

What a nice thing to do. The world needs more kind people like him and less Judgey McJudgersons.

[Mousky]

What a nice man.

My "favourite" thing to hear from people who have no idea is that people with ASD "have no emotions"- AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!