Socialization not always desired

10 years ago on a rainy Monday night, I was driving my autistic son from Hayward to Castro Valley (a 30 minute drive) to his social skills class. I had to take Crow Canyon, which is a scary, two lane road, where people speed and do not follow speed limits. My son sat in the back seat asking why did he have to go to social skills classes? He informed me that he wanted to watch Monday night football and told me that social skills suck! (He was 12 years old). A light went off. I had an “aha!” moment. Why was I risking my life, driving in the rain, in the dark, had fought the school district to fund the classes, when it was not what my son wanted! Socialization should not be forced on our children. When do we accept our autistic loved ones for them selves? My son had every right to watch Monday Night Football., in his room, alone, commenting like a sportscaster, which makes him happy! I turned around, and went home. I removed him from the classes. My son felt valued and appreciated.

#visualscheduleautismcommunicationanxiety