In a social environment, normal children is difficult to accept autism child because of different behavior with them. As we know that autism children see some things in different way comparing with normal children. This difference behavior is not understandable by normal children.
My seven years child who has autism, start desiring to join with the normal children. When back home from school, he changes his clothes and immediately ran out to search huddle young children who are playing and then join with them. Of course he does not participate in playing a game because he was not familiar with the game that normal children does. He is only happy in the huddle children. See a different behavior, I think children are difficult to accept him. Moreover, my autism’s child do the game in his difference way.
At first I forbid my child to join because I worry that those children will beat, pinch, or misbehave on my child. We know how the child’s behave if they disturbed. However, a strong desire makes me overwhelmed to forbid him. As a parent, I have to help overcome problems that arise. Prohibit my child to join with the children was not a wise thing. Therefore, I do approach and make friends with those normal children. While keeping on eye on my autism child, I watch the games they participating, give support, glorify the child who win in the game, join a laugh if there is a funny on their whim. And more than that, when I see them in thirsty, I offer them soft drinks or chewing. If I absent watching them play, then soft drinks or chewing supplied through the one of them. Children are happy to be treated like that. They assume that I was their friend also. Therefore, they start to accept and understand also with my autism child. So even though I do not look after my child, they take care of him. In fact, they often bring the stuff that my child loss.
Conclusion is we do not have to prohibit the autism children from young children environment, a better way is to approach and we make friend with the normal children environment. Yet they are only children who enjoying their childhood. And they are our children too.