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Self-Advocacy

5/14/2014

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Originally published May 5th

When an autistic child tells me "no" he doesn't want to do something...well, I do a little internal jig. I feel the same way when he asks me to drop everything and draw him a picture schedule or give him a bear hug, or refuses to wear those 3D glasses in the movie theater*. 

Why am I so happy over small events that others might brush off or think of as moments of frustration, not joy? Because these are all examples of self-advocacy. And when a child advocates for themselves, they're taking control and shaping their environment to best fit their needs. And that is not only awesome, that is to be encouraged.

Now, that's not to say I will give the child what they want every time. But when those long-fought-for words come out in a show of self-advocacy like this, I do my darndest to acknowledge them and praise the effort. And, yes, if it's a reasonable request, even if it's a pain for me to go through with, I do comply. Because learning that words matter and that self-advocacy is beneficial? That's a goal I'm willing to do a lot to achieve. 

Blind obedience fosters dependence. Self-advocacy prepares a child for the world.

-Creigh


*I don't know what I was thinking taking him to a 3D movie!



This post was inspired by this post by Diary of a Mom. If you haven't liked her page on Facebook already, I highly recommend that you do so.
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    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.

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