Laughing, crying, and other emotions are difficult for a child with Autism. Many times they just do not get it. Sometimes that makes parent sad, but there is an underlying issue to be explored in, for example, laughing.
Do you remember a time you and your typical child watched television together? I am sure there are times you can be watching an amusing movie and you both laugh at the same time. There are several ways to look at this situation.
One way is that your child found it as funny as you did. You just happened to laugh in the same instant. Another way is that your child noticed you were interested in the movie. When you laughed, they did too. Another way might be that they were laughing at you laughing and not paying any information to the movie.
This happens with our friends and sometimes co-workers. Sometimes for a variety of reasons we are participating in recreation or trainings that we are not personally excited about. They laugh and we might laugh. It might be because they are enjoying the activity or it might be just because they laughed.
Let's go back to our scenario and replace our typical child with our child with Autism. When you reach the funny moment you laugh and your child does not. Several questions come up. One might be if they found it funny or more accurately not funny. Another question might be why they did not laugh when you laughed. Maybe they did not realize you were laughing.
Out of all of these the most important question may be why a child with Autism does not laugh or cry or show any other emotion when their parent does. Many parents believe this is part of our child's inability to show interest in others.
They may not perceive the world or even the television the way we do. They may not understand we are following a story on the television or even that something is funny. Finally it is possible they do not laugh when their parent does because it is a surprise every, single, solitary time their parent laughs. It does not matter if it is a similar show. They just do not make the connection.
It is possible to teach a child with Autism empathy or an emotion. Being vigilant to 'catch' a child laugh and to repeat the situation is part of the process. When they realize you expect or are waiting for them to laugh they will be more likely to repeat it.
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Mylinda Elliott is the parent of five children. The third of the five has Autism which was diagnosed early on. The fourth of the five children has Aspergers. She is a self taught expert on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Mylinda Elliott has also worked professionally in the disability world for the past fifteen years. She is considered the "Go To" woman for advice or resources on disabilities.
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