Why are kids so goddam mean?

[RestingStitchFace]

DS is autistic and his speech intonation is a little unusual. It marks him out as different.

We've been on holiday this week and have visited lots of play parks. My boy is a friendly little soul and always keen to connect with other kids. Every single day this week he's approached kids in parks only for them to react snidely at his speech. Has been lots of pulling of faces and rolling their eyes and kids refusing to let him join in. It's breaking my heart and totally ruined the holiday. He's teary, confused and his confidence has plummeted. As the week has gone on he's become more and more withdrawn. Why the hell are some kids such nasty little shits? He's such a lovely boy with such a big heart....it's killing me.

Awful, poor lad and poor you, it's so hard when our kids are hurt by the cruelty of others & we can see them shrinking with little we can do. I had similar when my oldest was small, some kids and adults were nasty about it and it rattled his confidence and cheery disposition hard.

I'm sorry it's been like that OP, it's such a shame for him . My ds is autistic and also loves playing with other kids. I have found that if there are other children by themselves then they are more likely to engage and play with him, but if there are children already playing with other friends they are likely to just ignore him which breaks my heart too. Ds is quite persistent though which makes it a bit more difficult. Also, he is naturally drawn to larger groups because it looks like they are having fun and he wants to join in.

I don't know what the answer is, unfortunately.

I feel for all DC in this position. It is so, so heart-breaking. My DS has told me that the kids in his class tell him to 'go away' and have thrown stones at him at playtime in the past when he's tried to interact with them. Like others, I don't know what the answer is.

You don't say how old your DS is. My DS is 11 and I have found that he gets on better with younger children. His cousin is 4 years younger than him but I think they're a similar emotional age.

I have found that sometimes if we're on the beach or in the park and me and DS start playing a game or digging a castle etc, a child may come over and ask to play. That way I can help 'direct' the play/help DS start a conversation. If things are going well then I can step back a little but still keep an eye on things. (I always make sure the child's parent is in view or speak to them so they're OK with their DC interacting with me).