Explaining to a child about being different
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Explaining to a child about being different
I have actually gone to a class room of a children before and explained why I need help to do some things but not other things, I was invited by a friend of mine to do that quite a few years ago.
Today over on a website I visit, someone asked how they explain to their child what someone having Down Syndrome, Autism or something else that the child may notice different… actually means.
How do you explain Autism or something like that to someone??! Well the truth is… its very hard, because everyone with Autism or Down Syndrome or even in a wheel chair is going to be different from each other, just like how all children don’t like the same toys, all people with Autism are not great at math.
But what you can do is generally explain that we as people are all different. Once you realize and expect everyone to be different, you then realize that when your child meets someone who needs more help than you… its okay that they do!
That its not something to make a big fuss about… and that even if this person may need a bit more help to do something, they are still a wonderful human being who should be treated with kindness just like we should all be treating each other.
Sometimes… I think some adult grownup people need reminding to.
People are all different, did you ever notice that we all don’t have the same hair or eye colors?
Because we are all different, we all learn things at different times or in different ways! Can you tie your own shoes? If you can do you remember how hard it was to learn? If not, you know its really hard to learn isn’t it?
People with (Put difference here, ASD, Down Syndrome, wheelchair etc) are people that are just learning at a different time or in a different way to do things.
Sometimes this means they can’t do things the same way you can or sometimes it means they need help to do the same things you can, but it doesn’t always mean that. Sometimes they can do things exactly how you do them with no help at all!
Just like how you meet people with a different eye colors you will meet people who are going to be a bit different to you in other ways too. Remember that these people are still people like you and you should be kind to them just like you are to everyone else!
Because just like how your eyes are a different colors without you asking, so are people with other differences.
Remember though, if you are ever confused or worried about what you should do or say around someone who is different (like I am) you should ask an adult, and always know that its ok to ask.
About The Author
Matty is a 36 year old girl who is an Autistic Poet, Writer and Artist and lives alone in Christchurch New Zealand with a kitty! Matty has given many talks on autism and about being unique in a world that's often not accepting, Matty has also engaged with artist and worked on Art projects Matty usually works on an Art project at the same time as a writing one! This means posts can be a bit delayed!
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This is a really good explanation. Other kids sometimes ask me why Christian does the things he does (he has ASD) and it can be hard to give them a nice simple explanation. Thanks for sharing.
Great explanation Matty.
Hi i have a physical impairment which means how I walk and do things is very different . I think your explanation is a good one. I have always been happy to share with children about being different – its much better than children staring at me as I walk by.
Thank you Anne 🙂 I am glad you think so.
Hey there, I just found out my 5 year old has Asperger syndrome, and we are trying to find ways to help him learn and grow. any suggestions on how to teach him that fire is not ok to play with? and that other people dont like spit near as much as he does?
Thanks
The more I know you the more I am amazed by you. It’s not just your wonderful stories and poems that inspire me but how you unfold and share a piece of you in the hope that it makes a differnce for someone else.
You are the best 🙂