When A Boy’s Classmates Didn’t Come To His Birthday Party, His Community Knew Exactly Who To Call
Christian Larsen is a personable, charming kid who just so happens to be a little different from his classmates. He’s autistic, and as his birthday was approaching one summer, it looked as though no one was going to attend. But then Christian got the surprise of his life when some unexpected guests walked through his front door.
A loving home
A resident of Meridian, Idaho, Christian has a pretty big family at home. He’s got a brother and two sisters, all watched over by his mom and dad. They appear to be a tight-knit, loving group, and that’s the perfect environment for a child like Christian to grow up in. After all, youngsters on the autistic spectrum can have trouble developing certain skills.
Social skills
For instance, socializing can be a major issue. To go into more detail on that front, Lindsay Roane spoke to Autism Parenting Magazine in August 2022. She plies her trade as a “speech-language pathologist.” Roane outlined some of the difficulties that the condition can cause, and how it can affect people such as Christian. But that’s not all.
“Core characteristic of autism”
Roane explained, “A difference in social development is a core characteristic of autism. In my experience, many of my clients with autism have more difficulty attending to and engaging with others, and have more trouble participating in back-and-forth interactions.” She added that older children with autistic tendencies she’d encountered had developed such skills, but weren’t adhering to the archetypal conventions most people followed when socializing.
A helping hand
A couple of examples Roane provided were “conversation skills” and “manners.” Meanwhile, the expert also flagged up how moms and dads could help their kids if they’d recently been diagnosed with autism. Those actions could go a long way to forging positive developments in the months and years to come.
