{"id":1236,"date":"2018-08-10T02:00:27","date_gmt":"2018-08-10T08:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/?p=1236"},"modified":"2018-08-09T23:48:45","modified_gmt":"2018-08-10T05:48:45","slug":"12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Things NOT to Say to An Autism Parent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I know that most people want to be there for their friends and family when they are going through a hard time.\u00a0 But sometimes we say some hurtful things to each other. We may be trying to be supportive, or we may seriously have no idea what we are talking about. In an effort to help us all get along better, and be a true support to one another, I have compiled a list of some of the things autism parents often hear.<\/strong> These are from my experience, and from friends on the Big MAK\u2019s Facebook group.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"I\u2019ve included below as many comments as I could, along with the reason that comment isn\u2019t helpful. I hope that in seeing behind the mask we often wear as autism parents, that you will begin to really understand life in our house. And before you begin to feel offended, know that I\u2019m not singling you out<\/strong>. Many of these comments come from other autism parents and are directed at others in the autism community. We say them to each other without realizing the hurt we are inflicting. I mean, 17 hours after posting and asking for examples, there were over 131 comments. That is a lot of hurt feelings!<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I originally reached out to the Big MAK\u2019s (Moms of Autistic Kids) to get some feedback and hear some of the things they are told. My small list of personal pet peeves quickly grew to a list longer than my arm. We have not been kind to each other! And this list proves it. So please, read with an open heart. If you find yourself in these comments, don\u2019t stress! I\u2019m just opening up the conversation, so we can all better support each other.<\/strong> And mistakes are just a sign you are learning.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

So here it is- the definitive list of truly cringe worthy comments people have said to me or to some of my friends. A special thank you to the Big MAK\u2019s Facebook group.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

#1- But he looks so \u2018normal\u2019.<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Autism is one of those \u201chidden disabilities\u201d. I personally don\u2019t see it as a disability, simply as something to overcome. But recently I have seen the other side of Autism, the harder to overcome side. And there is no \u201clook\u201d for autism. It\u2019s simply a difference in how your brain works. Sometimes that difference gives you extra challenges. So don\u2019t assume that you can see autism. because you never will.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

#2- You can hardly tell he has Autism.<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m glad you can\u2019t see it. But when you say you can hardly tell, it makes the massive struggles we have at home every day seem like they are in my head.<\/strong> Maybe I am being overly sensitive. But sometimes I wish that you could tell, so you could be kinder. I have had so many moms give me dirty looks when he melts down in public. And there are just no words for how awful it is to try to help your struggling child while others are judging you both.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

#3- We are all somewhere on the \u201cSpectrum\u201d or \u2018We are all a little Autistic\u2019.<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve used this one before myself. And I look back and cringe. You may be trying to make me feel better, and to some degree it does. But you are marginalizing the serious difficulty my child is going through.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a mom I wish I could take it all away. And your comment just tells me that you really, REALLY can\u2019t see how hard he\u2019s fighting to learn what you take for granted.<\/strong> A better way to handle the situation is to listen to me and be my friend.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

#4- Can you just tell him to stop?<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

He can\u2019t stop even if he wants to.<\/strong> His senses are raw, and he is melting down. Or he is \u2018stimming\u2019 because his brain is trying to reset itself to give him back some sense of stability. Telling him to stop would be useless and frustrating. It\u2019s like telling someone who is hurt to stop bleeding. He can\u2019t control it, so be patient and understanding. When he calms down the behavior will decrease.<\/strong> Your judgement won\u2019t help and will probably make his behavior a lot worse.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

#5- They will eat when they are hungry. You shouldn\u2019t make him a special meal.<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Actually, no, that\u2019s totally wrong. My son has specific things he will eat. And if you are presenting something he has deemed toxic, no matter how healthy it is, he will starve before he eats it.<\/strong> He will go for days if needed.<\/p>\n

Just like when your little one was in his stage where he would only eat white things, my child is going to hold firmly to his food preferences. You must be aware of their food sensitivities and be considerate of their needs, or let me take care of it. But the old school methods really don\u2019t work with these kids. So cut us both some slack.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

#6- \u2018She doesn\u2019t have Autism\u2019. Or \u2018I don\u2019t believe he has autism\u2019.<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is about as useful as telling your cardiologist that you don\u2019t believe you just had a heart attack. A professional is required for a diagnosis. It takes between 3-7 hours of testing to test every area.<\/strong> So, suck it up Buttercup. You may not like it, but this is real. And all we can do now is go forward and get the help they need.<\/p>\n

There are several variations on this theme, including complaining that too many doctors are diagnosing kids with autism. I can\u2019t tell you why there are so many kids these days with autism or similar issues. But I can tell you that denial never solved anything<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

#7- \u00a0He is not that bad. Not at all like my neighbor\u2019s kid. I\u2019m sure he will be just fine.<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Well meaning as this is, it shows me two things about you. First, that I can\u2019t fully trust you. Because if you are willing to talk badly about your neighbor, what are you saying about me behind my back? And second, you really have no idea what autism looks like. Autism is as different as you and I are. And no two people with autism are the same.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In fact, let me be honest with you. There are days when I feel like my child is the most brilliant kid I have ever seen. And then there are the days I want to beat my head on the wall because even the smallest requests are met with defiance and difficulty. My son seriously has a heart of gold. But like every kid he has good days and bad days. And your comparison just shows me you don\u2019t understand that.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

#8- \u201cI\u2019m not going to treat him like he has a disability.\u201d \u201cAll he has to do is apologize. I don\u2019t think that is too much to ask.\u201d<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This one often comes from family members or friends who may be trying to help, but just don\u2019t understand that autism is a unique way of seeing the world. My child will not apologize to you because you have broken one of the \u2018rules\u2019 of his world.<\/strong> And the little police man in him is going to enforce those rules. The rules may not make sense to you, but they are LAW in his mind and heart.<\/p>\n

All you are doing in resisting and treating him this way is building a barrier between yourself and my child.<\/strong> If you push too much I may stay away from you all together. And you are certainly not really interested in a real relationship with my child, or you would try harder to understand him.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

#9- At least he\u2019s \u201chigh functioning\u201d<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"This one comes from within the autism community, aimed at other autism parents. Yes, we are blessed that our child is high functioning. There are so many who are nonverbal and have terrible challenges to overcome. But my child has challenges too. And in saying that you are (inadvertently?) putting us down in a \u2018not quite worthy\u2019 class.<\/p>\n

I am grateful for my child, and all his abilities. But just like you, I cry sometimes as I witness how hard he must struggle to overcome challenges I never wanted for my son.<\/strong> So be kind. We are all in this together.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

#10- I know something that will \u201cfix\u201d your child. (Especially when they just met you and know nothing about you or your child.)<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I have heard it all. What are you suggesting? Eating a Gluten free diet? Eliminating Dairy? Using CBD oil? Moving to a small island off Hawaii? I\u2019m always interested in people I trust giving me ideas. But if you are a stranger, please just keep your opinions to yourself. You can\u2019t possibly know what we have tried.<\/strong> But thank you anyway.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

#11- \u201cIf you actually disciplined him he wouldn\u2019t act like that!\u201d Or \u201cHe just needs more discipline\u201d<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"There is something beautiful about an autistic brain. They won\u2019t be disciplined the old-fashioned way. When I was growing up my elementary school paddled you if you didn\u2019t do your homework. But corporal punishment like that with an autistic kid goes in one ear and out the other. Positive reinforcement and natural consequences are the way to help our kids.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I said it is beautiful because I firmly believe a lot of corporal punishment borders on abuse. And all you are teaching your kid is to be afraid of you. But with the positive reinforcement the child sees that good behavior brings rewards. And natural consequences can\u2019t be abusive because it is just how nature works.<\/strong> You put your hands in the mud, you need to wash them off. Emotion removed.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

#12-\u00a0\u2018You are so strong\u2019 variations include: \u2018You are so amazing, I could never handle that\u2019. \u2018It takes a special parent to handle a special child.\u2019<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This one came from a mom on Big MAK\u2019s. And I love it. I\u2019ve heard it too. But she shared her reason for hating it, and it touched my heart. She said:<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically anything that creates a dichotomy where it\u2019s me vs. my son. My son and I are on the SAME team.<\/strong> He is not some evil entity to battle with. Plus, it just makes me feel isolated from everyone else.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"For me I don\u2019t like this comment because it makes me feel sorry for myself or begrudge my situation. And positive thinking is what I thrive on. So being told I am facing a rough situation doesn\u2019t help. And I don\u2019t like thinking of my son that way because he is capable of great things.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dear readers I have to stop here because there are literally dozens of other comments that autism parents shared with me as I researched this article. I have been overwhelmed by the number of truly ignorant and cruel comments that have been tossed at parents who are doing their best in a hard situation.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And the comments just keep coming in! Some people are treated so badly by those who should be their biggest supporters. We live in a world full of information but little patience.<\/strong> Please make a bigger effort to be supportive. And know that if you reach out in love, that will be clear, even if you don\u2019t know exactly what to say.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Being an autism parent comes with a lot of trials. But with your support, and the help of professionals, our families will make it. And I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if one of our kids invented the next amazing thing.<\/strong> Did you know that Steve Jobs had high functioning autism? And Einstein, and Thomas Jefferson. etc. It\u2019s not new. But being aware and supportive is. So let\u2019s keep trying.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I know that most people want to be there for their friends and family when they are going through a hard time.\u00a0 But sometimes we say some hurtful things to each other. We may be trying to be supportive, or we may seriously have no idea what we are talking about. In an effort to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3521,"featured_media":1299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[6,9,99],"class_list":["post-1236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autism","tag-autism","tag-overcoming-trials","tag-support"],"yoast_head":"\n12 Things NOT to Say to An Autism Parent<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I hope that in seeing behind the mask we often wear as autism parents, that you will begin to really understand life in our house. And before you begin to feel offended, know that I\u2019m not singling you out. Many of these comments come from other autism parents and are directed at others in the autism community.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"12 Things NOT to Say to An Autism Parent\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I hope that in seeing behind the mask we often wear as autism parents, that you will begin to really understand life in our house. And before you begin to feel offended, know that I\u2019m not singling you out. Many of these comments come from other autism parents and are directed at others in the autism community.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Scattering Sunshine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-08-10T08:00:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-08-10T05:48:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/805\/2018\/08\/smiley-1271125_640.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"595\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"390\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Abby Christianson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Abby Christianson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/\",\"name\":\"12 Things NOT to Say to An Autism Parent\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-08-10T08:00:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-08-10T05:48:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/#\/schema\/person\/b237aecda5c8a7785fcc6a3f4f637eb5\"},\"description\":\"I hope that in seeing behind the mask we often wear as autism parents, that you will begin to really understand life in our house. And before you begin to feel offended, know that I\u2019m not singling you out. Many of these comments come from other autism parents and are directed at others in the autism community.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"12 Things NOT to Say to An Autism Parent\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/\",\"name\":\"Scattering Sunshine\",\"description\":\"Learning to be more like Jesus by following His example.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/#\/schema\/person\/b237aecda5c8a7785fcc6a3f4f637eb5\",\"name\":\"Abby Christianson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1619720e196f9d98a279acf1d863c3c8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1619720e196f9d98a279acf1d863c3c8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Abby Christianson\"},\"description\":\"Hi! I'm Abby Christianson, a transplanted Mormon living the dream. In my life, I've lived in seven different US states and visited other countries. And the thing that amazes me is that in every place I've been the LDS (Mormon) church is the same. The people have hearts of gold, and their love for the Savior is unchanging. But for some reason, people still think Mormons are weird, backward, and sometimes even Amish. I'm here to try to help clear up the misconceptions about Mormons by showing you that we are just like you. We love our families, eat junk food, love movies, and spend time with friends. And just like you, our faith and values go deep. So join me as I keep trying to scatter sunshine everywhere I go. And hopefully, you'll find your faith in Christ strengthened along the way. Autism and more I'm also here to talk about Autism, and being an Autism Mom. There were few resources online when my son was diagnosed. So I want to be a support to those parents who are trying to figure out their child, and how best to support them. My wonderful son stretches me and helps me grow every day. I love being his mother and the things that make him unique. In 2020, every autism service stopped. So I got trained to be an RBT (Low-level autism therapist) with BehaviorUniversity.com. It has made homeschooling and doing at-home ABA easier as I understand my son better. They have some courses for parents to help them understand autism better, and I highly recommend them if you are searching. We have been home-schooling off and on for 6 years now. And it's wonderful to see my son thriving. Education and background Although my degree is not in education, I do have degrees from BYU Idaho and Southern Utah University in public relations, interpersonal communication, and marketing. I was lucky enough to get to teach a couple of freshman classes at SUU as part of my senior project. I have the best memories of those times. And it showed me how much I love to teach. While at SUU I was on the debate team. I wasn\u2019t great, but I loved the team and the feeling of unity we had. As a member of the Lambda Delta Signa sorority, I spent a year as VP of my chapter. I served on Institute Council and in leadership with my choir. And I was a member of the Lambda Pi Eta honor society. Funny enough, I was nominated as SUU\u2019s personality of the year in my senior year because I was so involved When my son was small I was part of the PTA at bus school \u00a0I even served on the PTA board and taught art classes to the kids. \u00a0I also volunteered to help out in the cafeteria. And I was a \u2018recess duty\u2019 meaning I got to be outside as a responsible adult during recess I love to write and wrote for LDSblogs.com as Abby Christianson and as Patty Sampson for many years. I took over editing LDS Blogs when our beloved editor Terri Bittner passed away suddenly from brain cancer in 2017. Then in 2020, LDSblogs.com stopped publishing after the pandemic affected their funding. But they are still online and some great stories are there if you are interested. I'm a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I've been married for 23 years, and a mother for 15 years. I love people and creating in any capacity I can. I hope you'll join me as we navigate this crazy world we live in.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/author\/achristianson\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"12 Things NOT to Say to An Autism Parent","description":"I hope that in seeing behind the mask we often wear as autism parents, that you will begin to really understand life in our house. And before you begin to feel offended, know that I\u2019m not singling you out. Many of these comments come from other autism parents and are directed at others in the autism community.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"12 Things NOT to Say to An Autism Parent","og_description":"I hope that in seeing behind the mask we often wear as autism parents, that you will begin to really understand life in our house. And before you begin to feel offended, know that I\u2019m not singling you out. Many of these comments come from other autism parents and are directed at others in the autism community.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/","og_site_name":"Scattering Sunshine","article_published_time":"2018-08-10T08:00:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-08-10T05:48:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":595,"height":390,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/805\/2018\/08\/smiley-1271125_640.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Abby Christianson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Abby Christianson","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/","name":"12 Things NOT to Say to An Autism Parent","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/#website"},"datePublished":"2018-08-10T08:00:27+00:00","dateModified":"2018-08-10T05:48:45+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/#\/schema\/person\/b237aecda5c8a7785fcc6a3f4f637eb5"},"description":"I hope that in seeing behind the mask we often wear as autism parents, that you will begin to really understand life in our house. And before you begin to feel offended, know that I\u2019m not singling you out. Many of these comments come from other autism parents and are directed at others in the autism community.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/12-things-not-to-say-to-an-autism-parent\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"12 Things NOT to Say to An Autism Parent"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/","name":"Scattering Sunshine","description":"Learning to be more like Jesus by following His example.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/#\/schema\/person\/b237aecda5c8a7785fcc6a3f4f637eb5","name":"Abby Christianson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1619720e196f9d98a279acf1d863c3c8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1619720e196f9d98a279acf1d863c3c8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Abby Christianson"},"description":"Hi! I'm Abby Christianson, a transplanted Mormon living the dream. In my life, I've lived in seven different US states and visited other countries. And the thing that amazes me is that in every place I've been the LDS (Mormon) church is the same. The people have hearts of gold, and their love for the Savior is unchanging. But for some reason, people still think Mormons are weird, backward, and sometimes even Amish. I'm here to try to help clear up the misconceptions about Mormons by showing you that we are just like you. We love our families, eat junk food, love movies, and spend time with friends. And just like you, our faith and values go deep. So join me as I keep trying to scatter sunshine everywhere I go. And hopefully, you'll find your faith in Christ strengthened along the way. Autism and more I'm also here to talk about Autism, and being an Autism Mom. There were few resources online when my son was diagnosed. So I want to be a support to those parents who are trying to figure out their child, and how best to support them. My wonderful son stretches me and helps me grow every day. I love being his mother and the things that make him unique. In 2020, every autism service stopped. So I got trained to be an RBT (Low-level autism therapist) with BehaviorUniversity.com. It has made homeschooling and doing at-home ABA easier as I understand my son better. They have some courses for parents to help them understand autism better, and I highly recommend them if you are searching. We have been home-schooling off and on for 6 years now. And it's wonderful to see my son thriving. Education and background Although my degree is not in education, I do have degrees from BYU Idaho and Southern Utah University in public relations, interpersonal communication, and marketing. I was lucky enough to get to teach a couple of freshman classes at SUU as part of my senior project. I have the best memories of those times. And it showed me how much I love to teach. While at SUU I was on the debate team. I wasn\u2019t great, but I loved the team and the feeling of unity we had. As a member of the Lambda Delta Signa sorority, I spent a year as VP of my chapter. I served on Institute Council and in leadership with my choir. And I was a member of the Lambda Pi Eta honor society. Funny enough, I was nominated as SUU\u2019s personality of the year in my senior year because I was so involved When my son was small I was part of the PTA at bus school \u00a0I even served on the PTA board and taught art classes to the kids. \u00a0I also volunteered to help out in the cafeteria. And I was a \u2018recess duty\u2019 meaning I got to be outside as a responsible adult during recess I love to write and wrote for LDSblogs.com as Abby Christianson and as Patty Sampson for many years. I took over editing LDS Blogs when our beloved editor Terri Bittner passed away suddenly from brain cancer in 2017. Then in 2020, LDSblogs.com stopped publishing after the pandemic affected their funding. But they are still online and some great stories are there if you are interested. I'm a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I've been married for 23 years, and a mother for 15 years. I love people and creating in any capacity I can. I hope you'll join me as we navigate this crazy world we live in.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/author\/achristianson\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3521"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1236\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}