Frustration and autism

Now I’m not going to talk about people on the spectrum who get frustrated to start with.  I want to begin with US when we get frustrated with them.

And I’ll have to admit there are times when I HAVE got frustrated with Johnathan for all sorts of reasons.  Sometimes it’s the fact that I am in pain or need space or was writing and he interrupted a BRILLIANT sentence and I’ve forgotten what it was now…

But when I get angry with him for my own reasons I ALWAYS apologise to him and tell him WHY I got upset.  My attitude and behaviour will always impact him and he will take from it so I want to give him the best role model I can.

It’s not just about being a role model, in some ways.  I don’t want to harbour ill-feeling, as I have done in my past and apologising and explaining it REALLY helps with that.  It makes me feel better internally, too.

And for Johnathan, I think the explanation is almost more important than the apology.  Because he doesn’t always understand what others feel and this is one of the ways I try and help him with that.