Empathy

One of the common difficulties children with autism face is in regard to social interactions with others. It is therefore natural to assume that these kids would also lack the ability to empathize. Heck, many typically developed children (and sadly even adults!) are lacking in this area!

But Jacob has proven to me time and again that one musn't "assume" anything about the abilities and understandings of children within the autism spectrum!

Sometime in mid February, Joel was working and I was needing a much needed break from my motherly duties. I had big plans for an all-day scrapbooking/crop event with a dear friend. Grandma and Grandpa offered to watch the boys and had a fun filled day planned.

At the Crown Center there was a "Fairy Tale Castle" exhibit going on. It was a collection of interactive displays of nearly all of the popular children's fairy tales from the Little Red Hen, The Three Little Pigs, to Jack and the Beanstalk.

Connecting the exhibit of Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel was a bridge. There was a little girl, maybe 2 or 3 years old, that was attempting to cross the bridge. But being young and timid, she was being run rough-shod over by some of the older children. Well my precious boy, tender-hearted that he is, went up to the girl, put his arm around her and helped her to cross the bridge!

When my parents retold this story tears filled my eyes and my heart melted! I can only guess, but I believe in his own way Jacob was relating to this little girl. He knows how it feels to not be able to do things others do. At some level he must be aware of what it feels like to have people breeze by you, not taking notice that you are there. But Jacob DID notice this little girl, and he was there to help.

A little lesson in empathy that we all could learn from!