According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the statistics for 2018 show that roughly 1 in 59 children receive a diagnosis for Autism. While both boys and girls are at risk, boys are diagnosed four times more often than girls are. The majority of these children are diagnosed between the ages of two and five.
There are different types of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). That means while some kids struggle to communicate at all, others function at a relatively normal level. Regardless, it’s up to parents to teach their kids to be accepting of others with Autism. A big part of that is to avoid bullying and making fun of them.
Many kids with Autism attend public school.
For the kids that function at a somewhat normal level, it’s common for them to attend public school. Typically, they share some classes with other children who don’t have this disorder and then go to special classes to help them in areas where they’re challenged.
We all know — kids will be kids.
Even when educated about Autism, kids are going to be kids. As a result, even the most well-behaved children will slip up from time to time. But the last thing you expect is for a mother to brag about her son who makes fun of a student with Autism who attends school with him. What a horrifying thought and example.
Overhearing a conversation.
That’s what happened when one woman and her co-workers were talking about their kids. The conversation started off innocently enough. They discussed the difference in personalities between boys and girls, dance lessons, soccer games, and other day-to-day activities. Then, the conversation turned to the darndest things kids say.
What the woman heard next was beyond shocking.
As the conversation continued and evolved, one of the mothers blurted out that her son makes fun of a boy with Autism who’s in his class. That was bad enough but then she added, “It’s hilarious.” Immediately, the laughter stopped and everyone stared at the mom. Did she really just say that?
She wasn’t even remorseful.
The ladies were waiting for this mom to say something like, “I’m sorry…I was just kidding.” Not only did she fail to offer an apology but she also wasn’t the least bit bothered by the words that came out of her mouth. She continued, “My son has the whole act down. He covers his ears and repeats words and does a hand twitch. He has the flap down perfectly.”
The women were horrified.
The woman who overheard the conversation…her son has Autism and he does everything this mom just said. She’d assumed the ladies knew about her son, Cooper. That’s when the mom with the big mouth realized she’d mess up. She tried to smooth things over by explaining her son doesn’t do it in front of the boy… like that makes it all better.
Her greatest fear was being realized.
More than anything, this mom wanted desperately to protect Cooper from bullies. But she never thought for a minute that would include another mother. Thankfully, the other ladies weren’t even the slightest bit amused. Cooper’s mom was so upset, she quickly excused herself from the table.
After a few minutes, she returned to the table… a woman sitting nearby asked if she was okay. While she responded with “yes,” a million things were rushing through her mind. At that moment, she understood two things: the world is a cruel place and she’ll forever need to be Cooper’s biggest advocate, even against other parents.
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Source: Community Today
