Saturday, March 13, 2010

Autism Inclusion: Why Do Parents Need Community People?

I have a friend that thought that Autism Inclusion was only about school. This was surprising since our children actually spend such little time in school compared to the length of their days and lives. Inclusion should be about friends, neighbors, co-workers, church members, and even employers.

Since human life is finite, our lives as parents are also finite. Meaning that we in all probability we will be gone before our children. I have told people for years that I have been preparing for my death for many years now. Do not get me wrong I do not plan to die for many more years. But I have been planning.

All of the people in my community are parts of that plan. Even my grandchildren are part of those plans. The people in my community will be the ones who know when our children with disabilities need help. They will be the ones to notice is something is wrong.

That is why it is important for our children to be included in the community. They need to go shopping at the stores you go to and pay the bills with you. Our children need to go to church with us and help clean the yard. This is inclusion in the real sense of the word.

Parents of children with Autism need people in the community for the same reason everyone else does. The people in the community need our children so they can remember things like tolerance and acceptance of difference. It is really a win/win situation for everyone.

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