Some of the classes I teach are in crisis intervention. Not
just the kind of a crisis to which FEMA should respond, but the crises that
occur in everyday life where people like you and I can make all the difference
if we are willing to meet people where they are.
I read recently that an autistic child was visiting
Universal Orlando resort with his family. All he wanted to do was get to his
hero Spiderman. He patiently followed his parents through the park, saw other
things, and perhaps even enjoyed them. But there was an often repeated question
“Is Spiderman next”- followed by a sigh when the answer was “not yet”. When the family finally arrived at the
attraction, they were told it was closed for repairs. The child’s dam broke and he – as his mom put
it- had a full meltdown. He was down on the ground, screaming, crying and
letting the world know that this was just not right. His family knew there was
no way to stem this tide. Enter a young
employee from Universal. Instead of demanding that the child be removed so that
people could pass, she got down on the ground beside him, politely told the
gawkers to move along, and asked for no pictures to be taken. She quietly told
her new friend to “let it all out”. And
there they stayed until he was ready to move on.
Being “awesomely autistic” is how his mom refers to her
son. Being awesomely aware of what one
person could do to help this child is something we can all learn from. Families with autistic children may there
always be someone who is willing to come alongside and just be there.
