Don't compare me to others, its called a spectrum for a reason

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Comparing children on the spectrum can prove very tricky. Have you ever heard the saying 'once you have met one child with autism, you've met one child with autism'.

The thing with autism is that its a spectrum of conditions for a reason. Each and every person is an individual.

So that means that the label children are given to describe their level of functioning can prove somewhat deceptive. As children like my son, who was labelled as 'high functioning,' can have symptoms like anxiety that cripple him and make his ability to function very hard.

And his ability to cope fluctuates from day to day too. So I choose not to focus on the labels he was given at the time of his diagnosis, and focus on his individual needs.

In this video, Amethyst who is an autistic adult explains functioning labels from her point of view...

So just remember-

Your child is unique and will grow and develop in their own way just like any child does. 

Yes there are markers, and milestones that can be similar but all children are different and unique.

I try to never take things for granted with my son. And when I make assumptions about what he can and cant do, he always ends up surprising me anyway. 

That's the wonder that is the autism spectrum!

Autism acceptance month A-Z (April 2016)