As a parent of two ASD children, I want to thank the OP for the post. It is very tough to worry about whether your kid will at least have one friend.

I think it is very tough to teach young children about kids who seem different. I also agree with the poster who said that the typical child might be fearful, because the SN child does seem different.

My children are not obviously SN, and I have had to explain to them about children who are different from them. For example, why their friend needs to be in a wheelchair. It is hard for them to understand.

I always tell my kids that everyone always has something they need to work on. Just recently, I explained to my son that while his brain sometimes tells him to look at clocks, is friend's brain tells him to focus on something else (i.e., lining up cars). The more exposure kids have, the better.






well said!

11:23...thank you for writing that.

Scary how ignorant pp can be, right??!

As a parent of two ASD children, I want to thank the OP for the post. It is very tough to worry about whether your kid will at least have one friend.

I think it is very tough to teach young children about kids who seem different. I also agree with the poster who said that the typical child might be fearful, because the SN child does seem different.

My children are not obviously SN, and I have had to explain to them about children who are different from them. For example, why their friend needs to be in a wheelchair. It is hard for them to understand.

I always tell my kids that everyone always has something they need to work on. Just recently, I explained to my son that while his brain sometimes tells him to look at clocks, is friend's brain tells him to focus on something else (i.e., lining up cars). The more exposure kids have, the better.

Unfortunately those parents are out there. Even to normal developing kids who might not be as gifted as their snowflake. Just met a parent who decided to sell and move within another elementary district because there were about four severely challenged kids coming into kindergarten with their child. The entire kindergarten grade is 80 children. Unreal.

Anonymous wrote:I don't force my kids to play with kids they don't like. They spend enough time being forced to do things they don't want to, both at home and at school. Playing is for having fun.

Wow, did you just stumble into the special needs forum by accident? Seems like you have the potential to send a lot of mixed messages to your kids with this attitude.

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Mean Mom (or is it Dad?) cannot possibly belong on here.

??

Wow. Mean Mom (or is it Dad?) cannot possibly belong on here.

Mean moms make mean kids. And the cycle continues.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't force my kids to play with kids they don't like. They spend enough time being forced to do things they don't want to, both at home and at school. Playing is for having fun.

Really? Really?

Yes, really. That doesn't mean I won't explain, "hey, that kid has a medical problem and you have to be extra gentle with him. i think he wants to play, so if you see an opportunity to put him in the game, go for it." But I won't force my kid to play with every single tom, dick and harry who wanders by. Just like I won't give the teenagers who don't include my 6 and 8 yr old girls in their ball games in the street a hard time because they're too young.

Wow and we wonder why the world is going to he'll. OP my daughter had a child in her preschool that was autistic and she understood that child was different and we discussed how to be a good friend. What I see now is that my child who is now 8 is known for being kind to everyone and I think you teach your kids to be kind at an early age and also teach them that we all come in different packages and nothing is better than the other. If the toughest thing in your child's life is learning how to play with a child who needs a friend..consider yourself lucky.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your kid is four..he is to young to know who he likes and dislikes. As his mother do the right thing and teach him he must be kind and patient with others.

Agree here.

Thanks for posting the initial question OP.

And to the MEAN PP, if your child didn't like the one child on the street who happened to look different, as opposed to being medically frail and different, would that too be ok with you? Because you know, you don't want to make your child play with someone he has determined he doesn't like at the age of 4. It's always wrong.

My kid is four and doesn't like to play with the 3 yr old across the street who always picks his nose or the 5 yr old who is always shoving his hands down his pants. I think that's FINE.

My kid is four and doesn't like to play with the 3 year old across the street becaue he is black or the 5 year old because she is Muslim. I think that's FINE.

Where is the line? When do you teach your child to look beyond things and see the person?