Inspiration at the Autism Support Center Annual Picnic

This weekend I attended the North Shore ARC's Autism Support Center Annual Picnic in Danvers, MA. 

There was a balloon artist, bubble machine, bouncy house, face painting, and lots of good food.  I met some wonderful people who showed their true passion for children with their excitement and never-ending smiles.

I was looking to talk to some of the kids for inspiration for my fantasy novel.  What I expected was to get the inspiration from the kids, but it actually came from one of the parents of a child with autism. 

Every time I asked Sam (not his real name) a question, his mother answered for him!  I wondered if it was because she was impatient or didn't think he could answer it.  Either way, one thing I've learned about autism is that it makes it harder to process language and therefore we must wait longer than usual to get a response. 

That little interchange gave me a lot of food for thought about how I want to have Eddie, the nonverbal autistic boy in my book, relate to adults. 

It was yet another reminder to me that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, and other special needs have a lot to say if we would only listen.