Autism Acceptance? The Truth is in the Comments

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A few days ago I stumbled upon a pretty great story in Facebook land. And I’ll be the first to admit that it’s nice to see a feel good story these days.

It involved an autistic boy. And a lost teddy bear.

Earlier this week, 12-year-old Ryan Paul was frantically searching through his home in New Jersey in hopes of finding his teddy bear.

When he couldn’t find the toy, he remembered how his parents had told him that he should dial 911 in case of emergencies. Ryan then called the police dispatcher and said: “The teddy bear fell down again. Don’t worry, I’ll rescue you. Goodbye again, see you again.”

Ryan hung up before the dispatcher could respond, and since protocol demands they send an officer for terminated phone calls, Officer Manzini arrived at the boy’s house shortly afterwards.

Together, they found Ryan’s teddy bear.

The article ended with Ryan’s parents saying that they now plan on teaching their son about which emergencies necessitate calling 911. And they expressed their appreciation for the police officer’s kindness.

As a mom to three boys, this story warmed my heart. And as a mom to an autistic, nonverbal boy, this story made me smile even more.

I know how amazing it can be when people outside of our world are nice to our kids. Yes, you read that right. Nice to our kids.

I love how the officer took the time to listen to this boy. He acknowledged him. And helped him.

Pretty great if you ask me.

https://www.facebook.com/ABCNews/videos/349216489041007/

But…this mama knows how mean the land of social media can be. Especially when it comes to disabilities.

I see it, read it and absorb it daily.

I immediately jumped to the comments.

And of course, the evil of the world did not disappoint me.

‘Yeah it’s OK to tie up 911 for a real emergency I think autism is very overestimated.’

‘Autism is the new excuse for absent dad syndrome, most of these kids need a good kick up the rear!’

‘This kid has to pay for his crime maybe some community service.’

‘Throw his ass in jail. He doesn’t belong in society.’

Thankfully, many of the nice comments rose to the top. Like they typically do.

‘We desperately need this kind of training in law enforcement! With Autism Spectrum Disorder being far more recognized and treated, we need law enforcement officers trained in recognizing and handling ASD people!’

‘This is a great story. What I want to know is, why does this officer have “Special training” instead of it being “mandatory training” for all officers?’

I want to thank this police officer for being so kind. For making a different in a kid’s world. And for shining a light on autism in the national news.

I can’t help but wonder though if this story would have had different comments if the 911 call had been made by a cute little 4 year-old-girl.

We’ll never know I guess.

While this is a cute, feel good story, my point is that as we approach Autism Awareness Month, the truth is in the comments.

Go take a peek at any story on a news site about autism. The comments are brutal. They’ll take your breath away actually. In a sad way, I think I’ve gotten numb to it.

We have a long way to go to get to autism understanding and autism acceptance.

This mama can only hope someday. And keep advocating.

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Kate Swenson

Kate Swenson lives in Minnesota with her husband Jamie, and four children, Cooper, Sawyer, Harbor and Wynnie. Kate launched Finding Cooper's Voice from her couch while her now 11-year-old son Cooper was being diagnosed with autism. Back then it was a place to write. Today it is a living, thriving community of people who want to not only advocate for autism, but also make the world a better place for individuals with disabilities and their families. Her first book, Forever Boy, will be released, April 5, 2022.

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