Today I went into school to read with the Early Years children, it was lovely because the teacher asked me to help the children to practise their ‘frog bookmark’ words (basic words like as, at, in a frog picture) which I had done with Bookasaurus back in the day.
I found myself getting quite emotional because in that environment it’s very difficult to hide from the differences between Bookasaurus and the other children and the challenges such as his constant movement and trying to get him to focus that we face.
It can be such small things that set you off like noticing that the other children can all undo their zips on their book bags but the Bookasaurus can sometimes struggle with his zips. That can be part of Autism a lack of fine motor strength (hand strength). In these moments of worry about him, I have to breathe and remember all the positives and progress he is making like his incredible knowledge of all things trains and dinosaurs and the quirky funny things he says!
Reading at school has put things into perspective for me it’s hard as a parent to acknowledge that your child has differences but working with the children is helping me to accept this. It will help me to learn more and see what works for Bookasaurus and what works for other children so I’m finding it very valuable to volunteer at school, they are all different.
There was also a certain amount of guilt that I know it must have been challenging for the teachers and teaching assistants to work with Bookasaurus but all children have differences and face challenges. Guilt never helps us anyway although it’s such a natural human feeling. It’s about learning to relax which is not always easy.
This story of accepting Bookasaurus leads onto and connects with my Blog about Bookasaurus’s diagnosis so have a read of that too. I hope this helps other parents and carers out there who are struggling to understand and accept what is going on with their children.
Tips for acceptance:
- Give yourself a break – it’s not easy to accept that your child has differences or needs extra support. It can be an ongoing journey of acceptance but as you learn and understand more, things can become easier.
- Find out more – talk to teachers, professionals and friends often they will know someone who has ASD, ADHD, or sensory challenges. They can share with you and direct you to information/books that will help.
Do let me know if you found it hard to understand and accept your child’s differences in my ‘Comments’ section and if I can help you or if you have any suggestions? It’s not easy being parents of children with extra challenges but together we can ‘Learn to Love Autism’ and support our children and ourselves so that we all thrive together.
You can also e-mail me at jo@learningtoloveautism.com, drop me a line using the form on my Contact page and view my 1:1 packages on my ‘Work With Me’ page.
The suggestions provided on this website are for information and sharing purposes only. They should not be treated as professional medical advice or a substitute for diagnosis/treatment, so please speak to your health professional for help.
Leave a Reply