I was in Morrisons today purchasing a few items with my 10yr old son in tow. He's doing a shortened school day at the moment because he's so stressed and truly unable to cope with it. He has (high functioning) ASD/OCD and Tourettes-style verbal tics which he cannot control at the moment.
The till next to the one I waited at was not in use but the conveyor belt was still moving very slowly. Being fond of conveyor belts and their connection with Toy Story 3, he spent some 20+ minutes moving a small wooden brick (always have these in my handbag) along it's length.
I sat opposite, about 3 feet away and just watched him. The staff were fine with it (I asked) and not one of them gawped or made any comment; he was perfectly safe and in his own little world. BUT, the paying public didn't like it one bit! Lots of tut tut tutting and eye-rolling and a comment about "ought to be in school". \my son wasn't in the way. He wasn't doing any harm to himself or anyone else but, he WAS talking to himself, which he does repetatively, so I guess they wanted me to move him.
I was about to have a go at one lady who kept looking at him, shaking her head and looking at me.....but I really couldn't be bothered.
It was the calmest and most "at peace" I'd seen ds in a week.
So, don't judge those you know nothing about or those who behave a little oddly or even a lot oddly!! You have NO IDEA what we're going through!