https://carriecariello.com/2021/11/15/be-like-us/
Be Kind to Everyone!
We came across Jordyn and her family on TikTok. Jordyn has autism. The shirt project was created with the purpose of teaching her job skills. She rolls every shirt, adds a wristband and signs a thank you card. They have everything from shirts to tumblers, pens and popsockets and everything is adorable! Also, Jordyn lives in Georgia but her family is originally from Missouri and they are CHIEFS FANS! Check out their site HERE!
Ozark Trail Hammock Chair
I first came across this chair in a Facebook Group. One parent posted it and that their son loved it and it spread like wildfire and soon the entire group was posting photos of their kiddos happily hanging out in them. The funniest thing is when you go on the website and look at the reviews almost every positive review is from a parent with a ND kiddo! These do take up a little room but can be folded down for storage or for travel. We take my son’s to the lake with us! It’s his go-to spot for when he is upset, over-stimulated, on the verge of a meltdown, or just wants to chill. Due to it’s popularity, it is often out of stock but you can sign up to get an “in stock alert” on the website. Find it HERE!
Fidgets/Stress Toys
These are some of my son’s favorite fidgets right now. You can find them all on Amazon!
Tiimo
We haven’t actually used Tiimo yet, but I love the concept. My son is on the Autism Spectrum and also has ADHD. He struggles with transitioning from one activity to another, does best when on a routine, and does much better with visual aids and reminders (rather than mom nagging). Tiimo is an app that allows you to see your schedule, time for each event and upcoming events. It shows how much time is left in an event visually as well as with numbers. They support Neurodivergent creators and developers and pay a team of neurodivergent advocates, writers, illustrators, influencers, bloggers, videographers, journalists, therapists and communication specialists to promote Tiimo. Their financial support allows them to continue to spend time creating thought-provoking content that is for the neurodivergent community. Try it out and let me know what you think!
Be Like Us
Can’t you be a normal kid?
Have fun.
Act silly.
Blow bubbles in the springtime and chase waves in the ocean and jump into big piles of autumn leaves.
Make friends.
Go to birthday parties and sleepovers and camping trips.
What if I can’t, he asked.
Try harder, they answered.
Try bigger.
Try with everything you have.
I am trying.
I am all the time trying.
Be like us.
Say hello when someone talks to you.
Shake hands.
Hug people good-bye.
What if hugging makes my skin feel like fire?
Do it anyway. Do it, because it’s the right thing to do, no matter the heat.
Stop flicking your fingers/flapping your hands/rocking back and forth. It makes people nervous.
You make people nervous.
Maybe you should hide who you really are so the rest of us feel good.
Be like us. Be normal.
What does normal mean?
Sit very still during story time and don’t jump around or ask a bunch of strange questions.
It’s not that loud in here, you’re just too sensitive. It’s Chuck E. Cheese! Every kid has fun here! There are games that make loud chime-y sounds and a big purple mouse and how can you not like it?
Everyone else likes it.
Here, put this costume on for Halloween. You know, the holiday where we all dress up like something scary or spooky with masks and daggers and wander around the neighborhood after dark?
You want candy, don’t you?
You can’t get candy if you don’t wear a costume!
Wash your hands throughout the day.
Just don’t wash them too many times because that is weird and called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and there is medicine for that so your brain stops telling you about the germs and your skin doesn’t turn red and raw.
Only don’t take the medicine because it is bad for you.
It is a quick fix.
It means you didn’t try hard enough.
But what if I need it?
Try harder.
Try bigger.
Try with your whole entire self.
I mean, why are you so afraid all the time? It’s just in your head. You need to stop worrying so much. Anxiety isn’t real. It’s something doctors made up as an answer to everyone’s problems.
What you feel is not real.
Are you a savant? Like Rainman?
What do you mean, you don’t play sports? How about basketball, or soccer, or even tennis?
Normal kids play sports. They high-five each other on the field and they have big spaghetti dinners and they cheer for the homerun.
You should be more like them.
How come you’re not on the honor roll?
You’ll never get into a good college if you aren’t on the honor roll.
The honor roll tells people how smart they are.
I am smart.
Don’t talk about your diagnosis with people. It makes them uncomfortable. Don’t talk about the doctors and the tests and the words Autism Spectrum Disorder stamped all over the paperwork.
Keep it a secret.
I don’t want to be a secret.
It’s better this way.
You don’t look like you have autism.
You just look like you don’t have any self-control and you are rude and selfish and loud.
I have autism.
Everyone has autism these days.
Just be normal, okay?
Be easy.
Keep your body still.
Lower your voice.
Eat what is served at the table.
But what if the food all mixed up feels like bugs in my mouth?
Just try one bite.
Don’t you want to sit with other kids on the bus?
Don’t you want to play tag during recess?
Don’t you want all the same things the rest of us want?
Think like us. Move like us. Feel the way we do.
Be a normal kid who will grow into a normal man and marry a normal woman and have more normal kids.
Why?
It’s better this way. It’s better for the rest of us. We don’t have to look deep inside ourselves and figure out all the reasons we are afraid to be different.
Our way is the best way.
But maybe, he said, my way is good too.
Show us, they said.
Okay, he said.
I don’t like the ocean but I do like to swim.
I am scared of loud noises but I love the streaks of color fireworks leave across the sky.
I may be afraid, and yet I am fearless.
I have autism.
I don’t want to hide.
What is normal for a cloud is chaos to the sun.