A mother is devastated when she is told to keep her autistic sons away from other children.Gemma Ryan lives in the United Kingdom with her husband and two sons, William (age 10) and Edward (age 6). Both William and Edward have autism. Edward also has ADHD and Tourette syndrome.Both brothers have certain tics caused by their conditions. If they are in a public place, they often make loud noises, for example, or clench their hands uncontrollably. These tics often draw a lot of attention — most of the time unintentionally. Gemma says her boys regularly encounter strange stares, unsympathetic comments and unsolicited opinions.
In August 2016, Gemma took her sons to a local playground so they could blow off steam and expend their energy. It was during the vacations, so the mom figured it wouldn’t be too crowded and hectic.She couldn’t believe what was going to happen there…After William and Edward started playing, the family became threatened verbally and physically, especially by other parents.”One mother said I should keep my ‘weird’ boys away from her son and that I should realize they didn’t belong here,” Gemma told Derbyshire Live.
Ten minutes later, a man came in with a child who began to play with William. William then hugged the child.The man suddenly became angry and began scolding him, telling Gemma that he would strangle his son if he touched the child again.”I was completely stunned. Other people stood up for me, and he started hitting tables until he was asked to leave,” Gemma says, “My legs gave out. I fell to the ground, sobbing and crying, and hugged my children.”It was a year before Gemma dared to return to that playground with her sons.
“William is becoming more and more aware that he is not like others and that people will often treat him differently, while Edward is not yet old enough to understand that,” she said.In an effort to raise awareness and acceptance of children with autism, Gemma and her husband David organized an event about autism.They called it “Spectrum,” and there were various sensory activities, including a silent disco and superheroes. Nearly 1,000 people showed up! William even danced (very well) to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” as you can see in the video below.
“No one should feel alone,” Gemma said.It’s terrible that there is so much misunderstanding, that ignorance and cruelty reign. I hope that by sharing this story, people will become more aware, and more people will respect those who don’t fit into pre-established boundaries!