Playground Predicaments

One of the most heartbreaking situations as a parent of a child with autism happens at playgrounds. I usually encounter at least one child that comes up to us wanting to play with Keegan. A lot of times they look like lonely, only children that just want some interaction with another child. It breaks my heart in almost every outcome. Sometimes the child just sticks around constantly asking questions such as: "Why does he talk like that?", "Why is he running away?", "Why doesn't he want to play with me?" Other times the child will look disappointed and sad as if it hurts his/her feelings that Keegan won't play with him/her. Very few times, the child will actually try to understand how Keegan is and still want to play with him. They will try to interact on Keegan's level, often looking at me with hesitation. Keegan isn't very good about picking up social cues from strangers. So, I will say things to help both Keegan and the child know how to interact. I will encourage Keegan by saying "This boy wants to play with you." "Maybe you should play chase. He's going to get you!" Other times, Keegan will want to interact with children and usually scares them off. I will hear the child say "Leave me alone!", "Stop following me!", "He's weird". No matter what the outcome, I try to stay positive. I try to use it as an opportunity to educate parents and children about autism, and being different. But, there is always that little, sometimes large part, of me that is saddened that at age 7, my son has never had a friend. It's a constant reminder that my son is different and that we will struggle with this the rest of our lives. But, it's encouraging to know that we will have so many opportunities to teach children how to accept someone for who they are and enjoy themselves despite the set backs and circumstances. Most of the time it may fall on deaf ears, but if even one child is able to understand this important lesson with the help of me and Keegan, it's all worth it. I wish more parents were understanding of differences between people so that they could pass on that lesson to their children. It's frustrating to encounter people who don't understand. But, what a treasure it is to meet people who DO understand and DO get it. These are the people that give me hope in humanity. And, as for the others I'll just keep trying to educate them and pray that they someday, somehow will understand. The ones who don't understand are missing out on such a neat part of life.