{"id":253,"date":"2016-07-09T21:29:26","date_gmt":"2016-07-09T21:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/genesisbehaviorcenter.com\/lasvegas-nv\/how-to-interact-with-someone-who-has-autism-basic-dos-donts\/"},"modified":"2025-03-21T09:27:01","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T09:27:01","slug":"how-to-interact-with-someone-who-has-autism-basic-dos-donts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/genesisbehaviorcenter.com\/lasvegas-nv\/how-to-interact-with-someone-who-has-autism-basic-dos-donts\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Interact with Someone Who Has Autism: Basic Dos & Don’ts"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cheat Sheet You Wished Others Had<\/h3>\n

Oftentimes friends or extended family members feel unsure of how to interact and don\u2019t want to do or say anything offensive by accident. In fact, plenty of people feel uncertain about the \u201cright\u201d way to be around someone with an intellectual or developmental disability. Autism prevalence has reached record highs \u2013\u00a01 in 45 children in America today<\/a>receive a diagnosis \u2013 but autism awareness is a relatively new cultural phenomenon.\u00a0That’s why we’ve put together this list of basic do’s and don’ts for interacting with individuals with autism.<\/p>\n

Parents, consider this the cheat sheet you’ve always wished you had to share with the world.<\/p>\n

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Always show respect<\/h3>\n

First, speak to any person you meet \u2013 child or adult \u2013 with respect. Use common courtesy; never talk down to people or discuss them as though they’re not present when they are right there.<\/p>\n

It’s easy to make incorrect assumptions about an individual’s mental capacity, so let your default setting be one of positive regard. Always assume that the other person can understand everything that you’re saying, and speak accordingly.<\/p>\n

After all, just because a person’s mannerisms are different than yours doesn’t meant that they have limited cognitive or relational ability. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities have unique sets of strengths and weaknesses, just like the rest of us.<\/p>\n

Use person-first language<\/h3>\n

Person-first language means that you refer to the individual first, and the condition last. So instead of saying, \u201cMy autistic friend\u201d, you’d say, \u201cMy friend who has autism\u201d or, \u201cMy friend with autism.\u201d Of course, it goes without saying that you should avoid outdated and offensive terms such as \u201cretarded\u201d.<\/p>\n

Recognize the common characteristics of autism<\/h3>\n

If you don’t know much about autism, it’s understandable that you might feel uncertain when interacting with people on the spectrum. As such, it’s helpful to learn the basics about autism’s diagnostic criteria.<\/p>\n

As Autism Speaks’\u00a0What Is Autism<\/a>\u00a0page notes, autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that results in:<\/p>\n