Different but still the same

“Be thankful for what we are!”

“Reality better than anticipation (no reason for apprehension).”

“I imagined them sad, but they looked happy.”

“At first I was disappointed by their ignoring me.”

“I was amazed of mothers’ dedication/commitment. They do not seem to have another life”.

“Strange but understandable.”

“I’ve managed to find new ways of communication - a simple smile -.”

“I was a bit afraid at the beginning, but things came naturally.”

“My initial thought was they were the same, but they had different responses to my offering them juice.”

“Very detail focused/keen on similarities and differences.”

“Not sure of what I/we can do to help.”

“Some of them seem pretty smart and able to solve problems (direction or easiest way).”

“I didn’t know how to enter their world.”

“They seemed to answer the stimuli mechanically.”

“They simply ignored me. I was upset.”

“A big gap between their emotional response and their age.”

“They seem to need activity.”

“They may become aggressive under stress.”

“Able of artistic details.”

“Some of them were very happy with the gifts.”

“Most of them have no initiative in interaction.”

“They are kids requiring more attention.”

“While doing something they do not like interference.”

“I felt rejected.”

“Parents look more like teachers.”

“Blank eyes sometimes.”

“Younger children were more communicative.”

“I felt useless.”

“They are not aware of the differences from the other children.”

“They learn by imitation.”

In conclusion, we believe that such action has opened our eyes to the really important things in life, especially the need of every human being to support, a helping hand, a smile... It was a new experience for us and we believe that those children deserve more. As Jim Sinclair said, "Being autistic does not mean to be a foreign. But it means to be a stranger" and we are trying to understand and get closer to them.