Autism: Holding Hands When Scared

Part of my schedule for autistic son Nathan during the summer months includes exercise. I let him pick either walking or biking. The other day, he picked walking, so we went on our walk through our neighborhood.

Sprinklers and Bugs are Scary

There are two things on our walks that scare him when we are walking: sprinklers and bugs.

1. When he sees bugs he yells, "ouch" and veers away from them.
2. When he sees sprinklers he usually grabs my hand and pulls me away from them so neither of us wet. Nathan hates getting wet!

The other day he grabbed my hand and held it for several minutes because some sprinklers were on. It was sweet.

You see, one of the interesting things about kiddos on the autism spectrum is that they don't usually seek out physical touch with another person. So, it is unusual for him to instigate touch. So, I am thankful whenever I get something a hand hold or a touch.

It is nice to know that I am good for something--like comforting my 6 foot 2" son with autism who doesn't like bugs or sprinklers. A little mama comfort goes a long way.