Anticipate A Great Autism Journey: 10 Direction Points

Anticipate the great: this post shares 10 direction points we’ve learned on our Autism Journey. The goal is to find joy in every day as we travel this path.

Live Each Day as if You Anticipate Something Great

Robin’s egg blue.  Wild flowers.  Green springing up and out everywhere, and the very air breathes anticipation of good things to come.

Spring.

Time of renewal.  The cold winter is over, and the sun is shining.  The world is changing, adorning itself with sparkly fresh newness.  There is anticipation in the singing of the birds.

Hang. On. To. That.

Feel the newness.  Absorb the fresh beauty.  Take it in, and squeeze it tight.  Transform it into emotion that awakens happiness and joie de vivre in a weary heart,

because,

the reality?

Reality for someone on the autism spectrum is that life goes on with the same diagnosis day after day, and with the constant feelings of anxiety and overwhelm.

The reality for living with someone on the autism spectrum is not to anticipate a lot of change, or at least, any quick change.  Celebrate the good times, and ease through the bad times.

Which makes me think of things I have learned to make easing so much easier.

So I made a list of things I wish I had known at the beginning of this journey. (When we finally learned we truly were on an Autism Journey.)

Direction Points for The Autism Journey

This is our list of 10 points that keep us heading in the right direction. Heading to a place with as much peace and security as possible.

1. Respect the limits
2. Never take offense
3. Anticipate the reality
4. Be patient
5. Be sensitive
6. Don’t pressure
7. Be a cheerleader
8. Remember R and R
9. Encourage new goals. Slowly.
10. Be a facilitator

Here are those points to anticipate great in the Autism Journey in more detail:

1. Respect the limits.

A hard thing with autism is eye contact.  Never, ever force eye contact.  There are so many people who just can’t understand this, and even her doctor tells her to practice eye contact as much as possible. He is supposed to understand.  He should help her understand why she can do eye contact sometimes, but that it’s okay not to force it.  It is so much better to keep the eyes in a safe place, and make a quick but respectful exit, if necessary.  In all the doctors we have seen, not one has ever had sympathy for how she feels.  They all want to tell her how she should feel, and how she should try to feel.  If you want medical opinions on this aspect, read this article.  For a more people-friendly explanation, this post might help more.

2. Never take offense.

Emotions and feelings are so hard to interpret.  Don’t take everything that is said the way it sounds, and certainly don’t take anything that is said personal.  It may be meant personal, and hurtful things will come from a person who lives with anxiety as a constant, but do not take it personal.  Always give room for the emotion and impulse of a moment, because emotions change, sometimes quickly. Anticipate the great of the Autism Journey instead of dwelling on the difficult.

3. Anticipate the reality of the Autism Journey.

Listen with your heart, and not just your ears.  Be cool and analytical in conversation, and never return fire with fire.  Wait until the storm is over to discover what was really going on, or at least, ask questions that may help you understand.  It very likely has nothing to do with what was being said, or what you thought was going on.  It is probably a reaction to something she is dealing with but hasn’t yet figured out how to talk about, or enough time to work through.  This poem describes perfectly some of the reasons negative reactions occur:

Squinting in the light
Ticking Clocks
The world is so bright
Everything hums
Shiny daylight fixtures
Killing me slowly
Eyes and brain aching
Stomach turns
I’m not faking
Sounds you can’t hear
Driving me crazy
Can’t tune it out
Can’t make it stop
I close my eyes and rock
Counting to ten
Breathing deeply
Desperately grasping
Trying to hold it in
Looking for a place to hide
The world is spinning
I can’t escape
Hot tears burst
My body burns
Nobody can help me
Let me be
Do not touch me
I need to breathe
Once started
This pain must run its course

Before I sleep

Anonymously Autistic

4. Be patient.

Try not to put them on the spot, or require answers to questions quickly.  Be patient.  Wait for the right time.  Don’t push for fast promises or decisions.  Plant the seed, then wait for it to grow.  Tomorrow or next week the topic may come up again, and a satisfactory conclusion made.

5. Be sensitive.

This next one is hard to describe.  Your behavior is what matters, and your actions, facial expression and body language are what counts.  She cannot sense what is in your heart, because she can’t read facetiousness or sarcasm as anything other than negative.  She takes things at face value, so it is important to squash any emotions you feel about something else before you address her.  Explain carefully that what you look like and how you feel right now does not have anything to do with her.  I can’t stress this enough.  She will not know that your emotions and reactions are not meant towards her, and even after many times of explaining, her head will get it, but her heart won’t.  So be careful, and always be kind.  Even when she can’t return that kindness.

6. Don’t pressure.

Don’t force her to have a social life, because chances are she feels its absence very keenly.  Her neurotypical peers are doing many things she isn’t, and if she feels forced into social life, she is headed for hurt.  She thinks she is doing what the others are doing, but then she might be taken advantage of and/or ignored.  She will be left to agonize, and wonder what she did wrong.  Encourage her to have one or two friends, and not necessarily from her peer group.  Someone younger or older may fit the friendship ticket better than a peer, who talks about doing things she wishes she could do successfully.

7. Be a cheerleader.

Approve, praise, and under-gird fragile emotions.  Make a list of ways to make her life better, and read it often.  Remind yourself of what works, and things you’ve discovered that don’t work. Be her cheerleader and help her to anticipate the great things that can be hers.

8. Remember R and R.

If you can’t stay on top of this pinnacle (and you won’t) take a break to refresh, before you engage in communication.  It is too easy to break down what took time to build up, so do the best thing for both of you.  Take breaks, because you have to stay on top of it.  No whining allowed.

9. Encourage new goals. Slowly.

Encourage volunteering, if holding a job isn’t successful.  Kim spends hours helping Miss Anita, the equine-therapist where she learned to ride.  Kim doesn’t like to ride that much, but she loves helping lead and saddle the horses for the young riders, leaving Miss Anita to instruct.

10. Be a facilitator.

When the comparison virus sets in, causing insecurity and a sense of not being up to peers, and volunteering isn’t enough, encourage looking for a job. (Or the thing they feel is missing to bring “fitting in.”)  Searching for a job and researching the options can stem the inferior emotions, because the research probably will prove that volunteering does work so much better.  Don’t demand them to have a job, if you know it sets them up for overwhelm and eventual fail.  Do encourage, however, to slowly work towards that goal (9).  Assure them that when the time is right, the job of dreams could come along.

How To Anticipate Great on the Autism Journey

You may be asking what is great in this scenario, but believe me, there is good to anticipate.

You may feel you are lowering the bar compared to your other children, but you aren’t.  They are not the same people, and each person deserves to have their own bar.  Everyone has a level of accomplishment, whether it’s the Peter Principle, or the Who Moved My Cheese principle.  Never force anyone beyond their comfort level.

I realize having said this, that there are times when one should move up to a new zone.  The times this applies is when the capability is there, and not merely the desire.

So the Great Thing is finding joy in your comfort zone.

Anticipate Great Today on your Autism Journey!