AMAZING (and important) video lets us step into the shoes of an autistic child
They say the only way to truly understand someone is to step into their shoes, so we found this video, which shows us (in 90 truly eye-opening seconds) what it’s really like for kids with sensory sensitivity.
For people who don’t experience this sensitivity, it can be hard to understand. And sadly, often with a lack of understanding, comes a lack of compassion. But for people with autism, being over-stimulated by the things like noises, smells and lights is their reality. Their exhausting, overwhelming reality.
And they need our compassion, badly.
So, to help us understand what they go through, the National Autistic Society in the US created this amazing video which walks us for just a minute-and-a-half through a shopping centre from the perspective of a child with autism.
Just a minute-and-a-half, and already our nerves are jangled, our ears irritated. No wonder the video is titled ‘Can you make it to the end?’
Imagine feeling like that all the time?
And the saddest part of the video is when the overwhelmed child acts out as a response to his surroundings, and onlookers just assume he’s ‘bold’ or ‘acting out’ – which doesn’t exactly breed empathy or understanding.
“I’m not naughty, I’m autistic, and I just get too much information,” the boy finishes poignantly.