As I was trying to decide what to use as a basis for my next blog, the thought hit me. How do autistic children react to crowds? Do they just go into their own trance and tune out everything and everyone? Do they overreact because of the confusing stimulation to all their senses? Do autistic children react differently based on their individuality?
I read a couple of articles on the subject, but so far I haven't really gotten any answers to these particular questions. What I did find was that autistic children avoid eye contact. Even familiar faces seem to be a threat to the autistic child. What comes to mind now is that this must be torture for the parents of the child. It means that especially in crowds, Mom must be extra aware of her child at all times because if the child were to wander off, it could be even more disastrous than for a child without the condition. Does the child even attempt to find the mother? How is that possible if the child avoids eye contact? If the mother calls for the child, is the child able to acknowledge?
Once when my child was lost in a Kmart store, I was frantic. She was playing peek-a-boo with me around a jewelry display. I got distracted for seconds, and she was gone. It's as though she were purposely looking for just the right moment to disappear from Mom's watch. Thankfully no harm was done. What was even more shocking was how I found her. She was wandering back from the outside as I was walking to the front of the store to go outside. I can't explain th horror I felt at that moment of what "could have been". My daughter was about a year and a half at the time. Please don't judge.
So, now that I have thought about this issue of separation and crowds, my heart goes out to mothers of autistic children. I sympathize. I feel your pain. If you can shed some light on the questions I have that have not been answered, please enlighten me. There are those of us who do not have autistic children and need and want to understand you better.
4 comments:
I have six year old twins with autism and both react completely differently to crowds. Will can't stand the noise. He will melt down, display a lot of anxiety and OCD, cover his ears and basically melt into a tantruming puddle on the floor. Owen (who is typically our Sensory, clingy kid) surprises us and loves to get lost in the crowd. He buries himself in the middle of the craziness and plays hide and seek. I think he thrives off the energy and enjoys being a part of it all. Your post has left me with lots to think about. I hadn't really analyzed it before..
My severe kiddos seem to tolerate crowds well enough, although my younger is still in a stroller so maybe that helps. My older could meltdown if too crammed next to others for too long. We mostly have to worry about him patting someone though :) (he just pats things & a person could be wearing something of interesting texture so he'll pat LOL). My higher functioning kiddos don't like crowds & tend to get more uptight (as I do).
My kiddos have pretty good eye contact, thankfully. They need to be strollered or held onto though as they would wander off, mostly due to an interest in something else, then forgetting where they should be or who they should be with; one of my HFA children is like that too. They need a LOT of looking after when we're out!
Dakota in crowds it depends on the situation. A ride set him off one time and it took a lot to calm him down. I cried tears and frustration. He was so over stimulated. It was horrible. Thanks to the gals in the 4H they actually calmed him down. I got the dirty looks, and snide comments. I so wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. He has autism stop starring. LOL
My 5 year old has always been anxious in crowds, church etc... before he was diagnosed several well-meaning baby-lovers would come up each week in church & try to make him smile/laugh... it was torture for both of us & I eventually had to avoid those people. He still seems uptight in crowds & will plug his ears, he especially is "afraid" of crying babies. I've been trying to figure out strategies myself... trying to understand. Mostly it seems to be the fear of sudden, unpredictable sounds, crying, coughing, sudden screech from another toddler... if he knows a sound is coming he's ok... ah the joy of autism :) but God is good & we're making progress!
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