Oh dear. I have been thinking about this a lot. My son is 4 and managed to knock down an entire isle of movies at the video store, then proceeded to run on top of them until the store clerk confronted him (all this in 30 seconds). After I got the situation under control I overheard a customer talking with another clerk about how people need to control and discipline their kids...that kid should have got a whoopin etc. I considered saying something but decided 1) it's not worth it, 2) this guy wouldn't understand 3) even I used to think that way 4) I shouldn't care what a stranger thinks anyway. I also just came across an article that suggests making business cards that say "my child has autism" and a link to a website to find out more. It's a neat idea for spreading awareness but I think the heart of the issue here is that we simply care too much about what other people-strangers even!!-think of us and perhaps we need to let that go:)

Despite the talk about autism awareness, there's little of it outside of the people who see it everyday. I go to any public place and there's a high probability my 4 year-old ASD daughter and 2 year-old son will do something to disrupt the scene. For other people, it may be the very first time they have seen a an autism meltdown or other bizarre behavior. sometimes I wish my kid had a wheelchair or obvious sign of disability so we didn't have go through this routine. My wife got her American citizenship today and I had to leave the USCIS building because of my kids. Lot of people from different countries including some kids but none of them were running around and yelling. I wish they could had some accommodation for the disabled like a ceremony after the main ceremony for people who have a disability but there's nothing.

I would told that "lady" that it's a public place and I'm not going to hide my kid in the basement for the rest of her life. She better get used to seeing autistic people because there's more of them coming and we can't wish them away. "Welcome to Autism 101, YOU (biting tongue) ... person"- love it. I'd add "Now autism is your problem, too". Ask her if she'd like to babysit your son for starters. I can understand a kid being a jerk but an adult like that is probably beyond education. The quiet dignity posture makes autism an invisible problem in my state and that's why there's so little help available.

I've said it before but people with AIDS stopped hiding, got in people's faces and in the public conscience. Thirty years later, there's far more money spent annually on AIDS research than autism because they were more organized and vocal.

Thank you all for hearing me and the support. Your comments or parallel with AIDS is a good perspective.

Love the comment @A MyAutismTeam Member "It's now your problem too".

Recent visits are much better and there are many out there that are awesome in recognizing, understanding and support.

May God help ignorant.

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A MyAutis...

My son has only recently been diagnosed with autism, but I've known for awhile. He has always had a hard time transitioning. I started bringing things for him when we go shopping. If I forget them I hand him my phone. He has a folder of games he can play. It keeps him distracted while we are in public. We can't go to the toy section still without a meltdown. He has a "desk" I made him so he can build things with Legos in the cart while we are shopping and not drop any. He hyper focuses on Legos so we use them with transitioning in public. I don't know if this will help but I hope it can give you something to work with. As far as a Lego desk (since I see your son likes them to) it's just cardboard wrapped with fabric and I added a collapsible side to it so it can go in a bookbag on the way out the door.

Oh, dear. My wish is your son will gain strength to weather these emotional storms as he ages and you won't be faced with such a dilemma. Until then, he's not going to learn self-regulation locked up at home. He needs practice and praise when he does well. Your neighbor there didn't help. I would have used a distraction for the kid (an electronic game has worked wonders) and probably would have ignored the woman or walked away very discouraged and disappointed in my fellow man.