7. Friendship and Fun

[Chelsea]

Friendship and fun were two things Jake's mom really emphasized. Why do you think?

[Cindy]

I think she's right, but I do think Kristine needed Jake to have friends more than Jake needed to have friends. I thought the moment when Kristine had to wait in the empty room during Jake's assessment was VERY enlightening. The professor told her this was how Jake felt in regular school - bored and anxious. I think it was hard to Jake's parents to realize learning WAS fun for him.

[Carol]

I don't know a parent that doesn't worry that their child has difficulty making friends. A parent doesn't want to arrange their friends for their kids, but they want them to be successful in meeting and building them. By having fun, it takes some of the pressure away from their interactions. Heck, I like to have fun too. I hope that is something we never lose.

[Pam]

She likely realized Jacobs difficulty with friendships - just like everything else, she wanted to develop Jacob in all facets of his life.

[Barb]

Most of the autistic students I see don't have "friends" in the same way you or I have friends. They have people they feel comfortable around, and people they like to be with, but even so, I see autistic adults, and the friendships are there, but different. I'm sure all parents what their children to be "normal." With autism, it is definitely a different "normal."

[Angela]

Kids with autism are already alienated just by those neurological differences, so I think it's extra important for them to have friends and some normal childhoods. However, their perception of a friend is likely very different than ours as neurotypical adults. We like to socialize and hang out (among other things, of course), but like Cindy and Barb pointed out, their primary objective is probably different (again, with variety--not all autistic people are the same).

[Pam]

Does anyone watch The Good Doctor? It is a show about a young man who is autistic and a surgical resident. I love this show, don’t know how accurate it is but it is a really good show.

[Chelsea]

Great comments everyone!

[Cindy]

I haven’t seen it Pam, but several people have recommended it so I’ll have to give it a try.