Ask Sarah: Correcting behavior

Sarah Stup

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How do I convince my autistic son that I do not hate him when I correct him? He automatically says that whenever I tell him something he does not want to hear.
–Heidi

From Sarah

He probably gets tired of being asked to act normal. I know I get tired of trying. When we try to follow your rules it takes so much concentration that we can hardly breathe, let alone think or relax. Then we get angry. Let us be who we are and allow autism. Without certain behaviors, we have no shield to protect us from a world that is loud and confusing and even painful.

He needs his own way of coping, and others need to understand he is trying to be comfortable, not rude. See him as a great son and find compliments, please. You are a nice mother who cares and wants to help.

Thank you for your question.

Your friend,
Sarah who also is not perfect.

Sarah Stup, a non-verbal writer with autism who types to speak. Sarah has published several books for both adults and children. She also maintains a blog at www.SarahStup.com