Appropriate forum?

Post Reply New Topic

Would this be the appropriate forum to discuss issues about being an Aspie parent? Possibly of an NT child? My boy is now one year old, and is super expressive and even seeks eye contact to the point it is unnerving. One day he chased the cat around trying to get it to look him in the eyes.

That was when the thought occured to me, is there anything I should be doing that I might not consider being AS to help him along in his growth? But I am not sure which forum would be the correc tone for this discussion.

edit: wow I feel stupid for not even bothering to go through the stickys.

Well it's probably the most appropriate of the forum topics and aspies do post here.

As a NT parent of a ASD teenager I can only speculate, but I think you will need to do things that might perhaps be contrary to your natural instincts eg your child needs lots of cuddles, and lots of eye contact, lots of smiles and being very reactive to him or her.

That is about what I figured at this point. I have trained myself to make eye contact regularly and can even do it without staring anymore, so that hasn't been an issue. I am not sure what are exactly the appropriate times to hold, cuddle, and kiss him, so I do it whether he wants it or not. I figure it is my prerogative as the parent and he can deal. I try to exagerate my expressions a little without being fakem, so that I don't seem robotic.

That at least confirms I am on the right path. I still wonder about other challenges I could face as he gets older. Lately I have really been working on finding and living my purpose and rearranging my life in order to chase dreams. He has inspired me to upset my comfort zone, so I do not end up so focused on him that I try to force him into any sort of box, and still set a good example for him. I assume if he is NT, that he will learn more from my actions than what I tell him to do.

I think awareness is 90% of the battle. When you know your own areas of weakness, you can get others to fill them in for you. Kids really are adaptable, and there is nothing wrong with putting your weaknesses out into the open by saying things like "mommy isn't too good at reading facial expressions, but maybe you are!"

I get the sense that the sensory issues and routine needs can be where parenting really takes it's toll on parents with AS. We do have the sticky thread, but it hasn't taken off quite the way I had hoped. Not sure if that means the need is infrequent or what. Regardless, you are in the right sub-forum and please do come post about your journey.