Search the site...

Autism Spectrum Explained
  • Home
  • Introduction to Autism
    • Characteristics
    • Common Myths >
      • Negative Narrative >
        • Autism Controversies
  • How to Interact
    • Stigma & Discrimination
    • What to Avoid
  • Advice for Parents
    • Visual Supports
    • Autism Treatments
    • Explaining Autism to Kids
    • A Mother's Story
    • My Sibling Perspective
    • Autism Explained for Kids Site
  • All Kinds of Minds
    • Culture of Autism
    • Late Diagnosis
  • More
    • How to Assess Claims
    • What Causes Autism?
    • Additional Resources
    • Site Info & Feedback >
      • About the Website
      • ASE FAQ
      • Survey
      • Contact Us
      • Make a Submission
  • Our Blog
    • On Self-Advocacy
    • Trouble with Changes
    • Smoothing Transitions
    • Autism Speaks
    • Vaccines
    • Infantilization
    • Her Autism is Worsening
    • Stimming
  • Autism Tutoring
  • Home
  • Introduction to Autism
    • Characteristics
    • Common Myths >
      • Negative Narrative >
        • Autism Controversies
  • How to Interact
    • Stigma & Discrimination
    • What to Avoid
  • Advice for Parents
    • Visual Supports
    • Autism Treatments
    • Explaining Autism to Kids
    • A Mother's Story
    • My Sibling Perspective
    • Autism Explained for Kids Site
  • All Kinds of Minds
    • Culture of Autism
    • Late Diagnosis
  • More
    • How to Assess Claims
    • What Causes Autism?
    • Additional Resources
    • Site Info & Feedback >
      • About the Website
      • ASE FAQ
      • Survey
      • Contact Us
      • Make a Submission
  • Our Blog
    • On Self-Advocacy
    • Trouble with Changes
    • Smoothing Transitions
    • Autism Speaks
    • Vaccines
    • Infantilization
    • Her Autism is Worsening
    • Stimming
  • Autism Tutoring

It's the Littlest Things that Count

4/22/2014

0 Comments

 
Originally posted: April 10, 2014

I was just reading through some of my old posts to get inspiration when I ran across my post about competence again and I was hit with the power of the moment as though it had just happened seconds ago. Here's the recap for those of you who might not have read it - there was a stranger who told me how awesome he thought an autistic girl was. Come to find out, the girl he'd been talking about was Caley. The contrast between his words and the negative outcome everyone had been predicting for Caley was just so huge and so powerful that I hugged him, a complete stranger, out of nowhere. (Here's the full post)

That moment touched me in a way completely disproportionate with the size of the gesture. He was being nice, sure, but he didn't even realize she was my sister, much less set out to do something as huge for me as he accidentally did.

But maybe that's one of the morals we can take from this story - the importance of small gestures. Because I'm not the only one who has found great power in gestures that would seem insignificant to others. My mother was telling me how one man's kindness to her and Caley in the grocery store when Caley was having a meltdown as a little girl stays with her to this day. 


Another mother told me how much it meant to her when years ago her autistic son ate chicken nuggets off of another diner's plate and instead of yelling, the man reacted with compassion. Other stories of similarly touched mothers, like this mother thanking a man for what to others would seem to be merely playing with her autistic daughter, have even gone viral. None of these people knew the indellible impact their actions would leave. But those of us affected do.

And I know that this isn't an autism acceptance or understanding or awareness post like I've been writing this month. But autistic people aren't the only ones who need help - sometimes the people who love them do, too. And we need to realize that even the tiniest gesture of support - a kind word or a moment of time - can mean everything to a person, be it a caregiver or an autistic person themselves, who is battling against the crushing weight of the societal stigma of autism.

So the next time you see someone on the spectrum or their caregiver, particularly if they're struggling, take care to be extra compassionate and kind. Who knows? Your small gesture may leave them a beautiful memory that lasts a lifetime.

-Creigh

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    About Creigh

    I'm a college student who grew up with my Autistic younger sister, Caley. I've got a bachelor's degree in Psychology and I'm currently studying for my Master's in Speech Language Pathology.

    Neither of those, however, have given me an understanding of autism. All of my understanding comes from learning from the many autistic people that I know. As a result, I have a very different outlook on autism than most, and a burning desire to tell the world what I've learned. This blog is one of the many areas in which I attempt to do that.


    *Note, none of these make me a professional, so advice I give is not professional advice.

    Top Posts

    On Self-Advocacy
    Difficulty with Changes 
    On Parental Guilt
    Transition Time!
    My Autism Speaks Story
    A Tale of Two Sensitivities
    Autism and Haircuts
    Cause of Autism
    Vaccines and Autism
    Happiness's Variations
    I Cannot Call Caley Cute
    The Power of Listening
    Her Autism is Worse
    On Preventing Bullying
    Autistic Parenthood
    Facing Discrimination
    Stimming's Function
    On Anxiety

    Categories

    All
    Acceptance
    Accommodations
    Awareness
    Caley's Posts
    Cause Of Autism
    Change
    Controversies
    Creigh's Updates
    Different Not Less
    Empathy
    Kindness
    Listening
    Meltdowns
    Myths
    Parenting
    Presume Competence
    Reader Q&A
    Science
    Self Advocacy
    Stigma / Discrimination
    Stimming
    Understanding
    Word Choice

    RSS Feed

    Blog Info

    Starting about in March 2014, all of these posts are originally published on Autism Spectrum Explained's Facebook page, and later reposted here for archiving purposes and easy access for ASE readers, including those who don't use Facebook. 

    Archives

    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos from madmiked, Jim Larrison, Purple Sherbet Photography