Autism Soccer: Encouraging Children to Accept Autism

Autistic children could seem like a challenge. As a parent, you need to understand that it's not about your challenge, but what your children is facing.

Parenting a child is not an easy job, and most parents agree on this. The challenge, however, is bigger when you are faced with one of the most dreaded diagnostics: Autism. For most people, this is something incredibly difficult to understand as they think of autistic children as an insurmountable dare. However, they are not. Yes, as the parent of a child with special needs, you are faced with a unique set of challenges, but these will help you create a unique relationship with your child.

As a parent, you are in the position of understanding the particular needs of your child like no other, but you are also responsible for teaching them about their condition. You are the person that will accompany them in front of others and, for a significant part of their lives, you will represent the first and last contact with the outside world. This task is a marvelous responsibility: as an admirable figure for your child, they will get subtle clues that will help them develop and interact with others.

This special connection between you and your autistic child, while different, is no less than the one that other parents establish with their children. Autism is not something to be ashamed of, neither for your kids nor you. While it is a unique condition, is not hard to understand it once you are focused and open to all the aspects. For most parents, this is the hard part. Society has forced the belief that unless you are ‘normal’ (that term used in a derogatory manner for people with special needs), there’s something wrong with you. And this is something that affects children too: they are signaled and singled out because of their condition.

The role of a parent is to encourage their children to create their own place in the world, and for the parents of any child on the autistic spectrum, this is a full-time job. They are regularly creating spaces for children to feel safe and loved, not ‘damaged’ or ‘defective.' While autism is nothing short of a challenge, these children are people and need to be treated accordingly. Without any dismissal or derogatory attitude because of their condition, and showing them instead comprehension and respect.

With Autism Soccer parents are encouraged to get involved in the activities of their children, helping them understand that autism is not something to be ashamed of. Through the practice of sports and the incorporation of other activities that foment love for physical activities and ability to interact with the world in their own time, autistic children can improve their lives. Read all about this fantastic initiative and support them through their social media platform.