True or False – Children with ASD don’t like socialising and making friends
False – Children with ASD want to make friends just like neurotypical children. However sometimes children with ASD can find it scary or difficult to make friends so they might need some extra sensitivity from the people around them.
True or False – Children can grow out of ASD when they get older
False – Children have ASD for their whole lives. It isn’t a like a medical condition that you can grow out of- it’s more like a different way of seeing the world.
True or False – Children with ASD can sometimes have special talents such as drawing or maths skills
True – Sometimes children with ASD can be especially good as something such as maths, building, music, drawing or similar. This isn’t true for all children with ASD though.
True or False – Children with ASD don’t get jokes
True – Sometimes! Many children with ASD find it hard to read the expression on someone’s face so they might not know when you’re joking or even take what you’re saying literally. However ASD children love telling jokes, hearing jokes and playing- just like neurotypical children.
True or False – Children with ASD are just naughty
False – Children with ASD often find the world a bit scary, especially when things are new or different to normal. That might lead them to feel anxious and display unusual behaviour. This is not naughty behaviour- it’s often just a coping strategy or a way to express pent up feelings.
This lovely video helps to explain Asperger’s syndrome for children…
With thanks to Jordanna Farrimond from Asperger’s Children and Carers Together (ACCT) for writing this post. Asperger’s Children and Carers Together (ACCT) is a parent-led support group for children and families affected by Asperger’s syndrome and High Functioning Autism. We run activity groups for children and teenagers with Asperger’s and Autism, as well as family days out and other trips. Siblings are welcome too. We also host weekly drop-in sessions at Acctivate and monthly meetings for parents and carers.
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