AGXStarseed
Well-Known Member
(Not written by me)
'Hi, you've noticed my son is different': Mother hands out BUSINESS cards to explain her autistic boy's behaviour to strangers who look at him 'funny'
It has been called an easy diagnosis, an excuse for parents who can't control their 'naughty' kids.
But it couldn't be further from the truth. Just ask Sunnie Sciascia.
The 45-year-old and her husband Art Reppas, 46, from Fremantle, Western Australia, have dealt with the reality of autism for the past five years.
Their son Georgie was diagnosed at three-and-a-half years old, instantly changing their lives.
Eventually as time passed the couple became used to dealing with their son's behaviour.
However what they never got used to was strangers judging what they presumed was just another uncontrollable kid throwing a tantrum.
One day it became too much.
'I was at a restaurant with Georgie and my husband, and we were having a great time until a lady who had a disability yelled out across the restaurant ‘what’s wrong with your son?’ Mrs Sciascia said.
'Everyone stopped to look at her and looked at us. And I was a bit angry so I yelled back saying “he has autism”.'
Unsure of how to deal with the situation, the mother-of-one spoke to a friend whose child also had autism.
'Basically a friend of mine said she had a card that she had made explaining why her son does all these things, which she gave to people who were staring,' she said.
'She would hand these cards out and it kind of stopped her feeling like she wasn't a good mum. So I made a card.'
The double-sided business-like card begins with the words: 'Message of Love for a child - We all have a disability, it's what makes us unique.'
On the flip-side it then reads as follows:
'Hi, you have noticed that my son is different. Our son has autism, he may be very loud at times, or seem shy or doesn't say much. but our son is very happy, caring and loves being around other children. Autism is a neurological disability, which means that parts of our son's brain works well and other parts do not. However with love, therapy, a great diet and lot's of hugs and kisses our little man is improving everyday. I thank you for your time, have a lovely day.
Sunnie and Art (Georgie's parents)'
Mrs Sciascia said the result was automatic relief for her and her husband, and a change of opinion for everyone else.
'It just changed my life. I was going up to people and they were looking at us funny and I would just hand over this card, and their faces would change straight away,' she said.
'They become more sympathetic. I’ve had so many people come and hug me, tell me I’m doing a great job and it just basically completely changed my whole outlook on autism.'
She said the cards have changed the way her and her husband view autism, something that was a total turnaround from when Georgie was first diagnosed.
'I cried through the whole hour and a half of them telling me my son was autistic,' she said.
'They were reading out the diagnosis document and I didn’t hear anything they said to me. I was just in a box of tissues for a whole hour and a half, luckily I had my husband with me.'
Popular mummy blogger Constance Hall this week wrote about her friend Sunnie and her 'beautiful' son Georgie, with the story of Mrs Sciascia's unique way of showing people her son is 'normal' proving incredibly popular among social media users.
'I was shocked that one of the biggest challenges in a condition that we have no control over was also the one thing that we DO have control over, OUR behaviour,' Ms Hall said.
'Being a wise and resilient mum, Sunnie decided to protect her boy by arming people with knowledge.'
Introducing the card is a move that has paid dividends for Georgie and his parents, allowing them not only more freedom, but to have their son treated as just another kid.
'Instead of being bashful and hiding at home a lot, I go out and tell everybody I know about my son, Mrs Sciascia said.
'That he has autism, what he does when he is unsure, that he may yell, he may vocalise, he might jump up and down, that this is all natural for him - that's is just the way he is.'
Despite being concerned when Georgie was first diagnosed that he may never live life like a 'normal' child, Ms Sciascia said she and her husband had now overcome their worries.
She said together they have turned their attention to doing everything in their power to provide Georgie the opportunity to live life like any eight-year-old boy.
'About three weeks after the diagnosis I started to say to myself, "no, I’m not gonna get down about this. I’m going to start doing work and give my son a life where he will be able to go to school and do the things other kids are doing",' she said.
'Be able to catch a bus, be able to get a license, be able to go to university if he wants to and so on and so forth. That’s what we’re doing now.
'He’s just a normal kid, he even does dancing and we’re just doing everything we can for our Georgie.'
SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...s-explain-behaviour-strangers-look-funny.html
'Hi, you've noticed my son is different': Mother hands out BUSINESS cards to explain her autistic boy's behaviour to strangers who look at him 'funny'
- Sunnie Sciascia's autistic son Georgie, 8, was often judged by strangers
- After talking to a friend she designed 'business cards' for others
- On them she outlines Georgie's condition and why he may act like he does
- They have been a success with Georgie now able to get on with his life
It has been called an easy diagnosis, an excuse for parents who can't control their 'naughty' kids.
But it couldn't be further from the truth. Just ask Sunnie Sciascia.
The 45-year-old and her husband Art Reppas, 46, from Fremantle, Western Australia, have dealt with the reality of autism for the past five years.
Their son Georgie was diagnosed at three-and-a-half years old, instantly changing their lives.
Eventually as time passed the couple became used to dealing with their son's behaviour.
However what they never got used to was strangers judging what they presumed was just another uncontrollable kid throwing a tantrum.
One day it became too much.
'I was at a restaurant with Georgie and my husband, and we were having a great time until a lady who had a disability yelled out across the restaurant ‘what’s wrong with your son?’ Mrs Sciascia said.
'Everyone stopped to look at her and looked at us. And I was a bit angry so I yelled back saying “he has autism”.'
Unsure of how to deal with the situation, the mother-of-one spoke to a friend whose child also had autism.
'Basically a friend of mine said she had a card that she had made explaining why her son does all these things, which she gave to people who were staring,' she said.
'She would hand these cards out and it kind of stopped her feeling like she wasn't a good mum. So I made a card.'
The double-sided business-like card begins with the words: 'Message of Love for a child - We all have a disability, it's what makes us unique.'
On the flip-side it then reads as follows:
'Hi, you have noticed that my son is different. Our son has autism, he may be very loud at times, or seem shy or doesn't say much. but our son is very happy, caring and loves being around other children. Autism is a neurological disability, which means that parts of our son's brain works well and other parts do not. However with love, therapy, a great diet and lot's of hugs and kisses our little man is improving everyday. I thank you for your time, have a lovely day.
Sunnie and Art (Georgie's parents)'
Mrs Sciascia said the result was automatic relief for her and her husband, and a change of opinion for everyone else.
'It just changed my life. I was going up to people and they were looking at us funny and I would just hand over this card, and their faces would change straight away,' she said.
'They become more sympathetic. I’ve had so many people come and hug me, tell me I’m doing a great job and it just basically completely changed my whole outlook on autism.'
She said the cards have changed the way her and her husband view autism, something that was a total turnaround from when Georgie was first diagnosed.
'I cried through the whole hour and a half of them telling me my son was autistic,' she said.
'They were reading out the diagnosis document and I didn’t hear anything they said to me. I was just in a box of tissues for a whole hour and a half, luckily I had my husband with me.'
Popular mummy blogger Constance Hall this week wrote about her friend Sunnie and her 'beautiful' son Georgie, with the story of Mrs Sciascia's unique way of showing people her son is 'normal' proving incredibly popular among social media users.
'I was shocked that one of the biggest challenges in a condition that we have no control over was also the one thing that we DO have control over, OUR behaviour,' Ms Hall said.
'Being a wise and resilient mum, Sunnie decided to protect her boy by arming people with knowledge.'
Introducing the card is a move that has paid dividends for Georgie and his parents, allowing them not only more freedom, but to have their son treated as just another kid.
'Instead of being bashful and hiding at home a lot, I go out and tell everybody I know about my son, Mrs Sciascia said.
'That he has autism, what he does when he is unsure, that he may yell, he may vocalise, he might jump up and down, that this is all natural for him - that's is just the way he is.'
Despite being concerned when Georgie was first diagnosed that he may never live life like a 'normal' child, Ms Sciascia said she and her husband had now overcome their worries.
She said together they have turned their attention to doing everything in their power to provide Georgie the opportunity to live life like any eight-year-old boy.
'About three weeks after the diagnosis I started to say to myself, "no, I’m not gonna get down about this. I’m going to start doing work and give my son a life where he will be able to go to school and do the things other kids are doing",' she said.
'Be able to catch a bus, be able to get a license, be able to go to university if he wants to and so on and so forth. That’s what we’re doing now.
'He’s just a normal kid, he even does dancing and we’re just doing everything we can for our Georgie.'
SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...s-explain-behaviour-strangers-look-funny.html