I Have a Special Needs Child

There needs to be more awareness in the general public. When people try to joke with a child who DOES NOT GET JOKES they are not being rude when they get upset, and if they turning away, averting their eyes, walking faster to outpace you, or covering their ears that's a pretty clear sign that they are not taking what you say as a joke. I know people don't mean any harm, but from a parent's standpoint hearing a child claim that "I really tried mommy, I just don't understand what they are talking about" is heartbreaking. Dealing with the backlash from just that situation can be even worse. THEY cannot read body language like you or I, but they put out pretty damn clear signals. Please pay attention to the 'please leave me alone' look on their face. I cannot even count how many times I have said to people "hey sorry, but he doesn't really feel like playing right now" and got an F U look in return. Autism really does speak, people need to learn to hear it.

SW-User

I am sorry that you have to deal with this. My son is mildly autistic, so I understand some of what you are going through. It can be heartbreaking. Your son may not be able to do this, but we were able to teach our son how to fake it. He studied the other children like they were bugs. He is 18 now and usually knows what people will do, even if he doesn't know why they do it. He still gets overwhelmed, and I still watch like a hawk for those signals. Yes, people should try and understand more than they do. It doesn't take a lot of work to notice that they are obviously uncomfortable.