"When I look back, there are people who judged me," she said. Autism was not well-known when her son, Matthew, now 22, was growing up. It's a familiar experience for Laura Shumaker who remembered the scorn of strangers whenever her son had a public meltdown. That's the absolute best thing you could do." "Even if you are confused and you don't know what to do, give that parent a reassuring smile. "Please try to understand parents of special children are going through living hell 24 hours a day," she said. Critical comments are "very, very painful and very depressing," she said. Moores said the most helpful thing the public can do is withhold the judgmental looks and reassure the parent with a smile when they encounter a child having a public meltdown. Make a statement that's heard and move on." My child has disability.' They're not obliged to engage in conversation. "It should be something they feel comfortable with, about this invisible disorder. Parents should have a pat answer to say to a nasty face maker, she said. To prepare for outings, parents should bring a favorite toy or plan ahead to reduce waiting time. No one seems to understand where you're coming from." Read Moores' iReport submission. "You're in a situation you have to explain your kids, because you can't take the looks," she said. When the staring and critical comments become too overwhelming, Julian's mother tells the onlookers that the children have autism. "People are always staring and because the children don't show any type of physical abnormality, like someone with Down syndrome would show people kind of assume that you're a bad parent," said Alexandre Moores Julian counts everything aloud, over and over again. Marcus walks on his tiptoes and amuses himself by dumping liquid from sippy cups and containers. Their odd behavior draws unwanted attention. That inability to communicate can set off such behaviors in toddlers." "They have no control to navigate difficult situations using their social and communication skills. Lisa Shulman, an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York. "The reason why toddlers have tantrums is they don't have verbal or cognitive skills yet," said Dr.
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