Probably one of the most popular phrases used to date is “Follow Your Dreams” and this is for good reason. As a child we were always told dream big, if something is out their and sparks your interest, for example like sports or dancing, we tell them try it see if you like it and if so, we as parents, try to support them as much as we can and motivate them to excel.
Children with Aspergers, things are little different. We have to push them out of their comfort zones with assurance that they will enjoy it but not over pushing them. Social interaction is also a big hurdle. Many times we have to deal with anxiety and fidgeting which also can make it difficult for your child to feel accepted into clubs and school activities.
Here is the good news, it may take longer to find those interests and with a little guidance from you, your child will find those interests. Kids with Aspergers are usually attracted to things like music, computers, gaming, mathematics and academics. Now, that doesn’t sound so bad does it. Watch for the signs of interests and support them as much as you can. If music is your child’s world then find a teacher who has worked with kids with special needs or at least has patience to take things at a slower pace at first. Trust me taking these actions you will see your child excel and then they will learn to do it on their own and the best part is, because this is something they become so focused on they will master it and find friends with this same interests.
With our son, it was boy scouts, computers -coding and playing drums. Boy scouts is a good avenue for getting them out and a little independence with being carefully supervised by adult leaders. They are big in accommodating for kids with special needs and will adjust the program to help. They have a no bullying tolerance which seems to work well and best of all they spend more time outside instead of on the gaming system.
As you look at our boys blogs, you can see the progression of how the confidence is being built by them and the friends they are finding along the way.
I hope that by posting these blogs from a parents point of view is helpful as you walk through your journey with you child.
Be sure to check out our new digital magazine that will be coming out soon.
Thank you for taking the time to follow our boys through their blog.
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