Autism is a disease which has a profound impact on the lives of many, thankfully research and medical advancements in the last 20 years along with changing public opinion has lead to sufferers of autism being able to function very well within society. There are so many great foundations, specialist schools and incredible people like Chris Manente who are making life easier for anyone with autism.
If you know someone who is struggling with autism then you can help them greatly with your friendship, some allowances will need to be made but ultimately you can strike up a great bond with them in spite of their illness. Let’s take a look then at how you can help someone you know with autism.
Open Dialogue
If you know someone who has autism then avoiding the subject entirely is not a good move and you will be far better to create an open environment for you both to speak about the illness. This doesn’t mean that you need to remind them of their illness each day, it is about being able to have a full and frank discussion with them about their symptoms and you being able to offer any help that you can, even if it is just a listening ear.
Do Your Research
It will be very important that you have a full understanding of what autism is, what the symptoms are and how autism can manifest itself. There is an incredible amount of information online about autism and how it affects people and if you want to be of service to your friend or family member then being informed is the best place to start.
Be Patient
Being patient truly is a virtue if you know somebody who is suffering from autism, you will need to be able to listen to them and to take your time with them. Autism itself can make it difficult for sufferers to learn new things, to pick up new skills and to complete simple activities. Your role as a friend or loved one o anyone that has autism will be to support them through difficult times and that means that you will be required to observe a lot of patience.
Don’t Be Charitable
The person you know who has autism is not a project, they do not need your pity nor your charity, what they need is a friend or someone who cares. Being this person to someone who is suffering from autism simply means that you may have to do things a little differently but nothing more than this. At the most basic level it is no different to having a friend who is a devout Muslim, in order to be a better friend to them you need to learn more about them and respect each different aspect of how they operate, autism is just like this, you should have strong knowledge of what they are going through and respect for the parts of their life which differ from yours. Simply put, you just need to be a great friend and a great friend learns all of the pitfalls, struggles, and nuances of their friends.
