My whole life I've been taught that people are different, and that's OK. Not only because I have amazing parents and grandparents who know how to raise a child, but because it's true.. people are different. This doesn't only mean their looks, their attitude, manors, or way they were raised, but how they were born as well. People can be different before they even enter this world.

If you've never heard of Autism or the autism spectrum please look into it! But, I'll give you a quick little definition:

"Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. With the May 2013 publication of the DSM-5 diagnostic manual, all autism disorders were merged into one umbrella diagnosis of ASD. Previously, they were recognized as distinct subtypes, including autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger syndrome." - Autism Speaks.

Basically, autism affects someone's everyday life, their sleep patterns, diet, speech, relationships, and everyday activities that someone without autism would do without second thought.

Personally, I've grown up with a high functioning autistic aunt, and now have an autistic cousin as well. To be clear, the aunt is not the mother of my cousin, the mother of my cousin is sisters to the aunt. It honestly feels weird to me putting a label in front of the words "aunt" and "cousin" at this point because to me they're just family members.

The reason that I wanted to write this article today is because this past weekend I was shopping around with my aunt to take my autistic cousin shopping for some school outfits at Old Navy. We're used to his unusual tendencies such as small noises, and the constant desire to wander. Usually this wandering will result in a few bumps into objects or people. At the checkout counter it was a bit crowded and understaffed, and while my aunt and I were sorting out things at the checkout counter my cousin was wandering in circles, making a bit of noise, and accidentally slightly bumped into another customer in the process.

Now, I have to say I don't think you should have to paint the word "autistic" on their forehead for people to realize that they are a bit different, or there is a reason they aren't observant of their surroundings, or realizing it's not polite to run into strangers, however it's habit for me to apologize for him if these things happen, my aunt however does not do so because I assume she doesn't feel the need, and I agree.

It wasn't until after we had walked out of the store that my aunt asked me the question of "did you hear what he said?" I of course had no idea what she was talking about, but the specific person that I had just apologized to had apparently said "control your child" to himself as my cousin was wandering with the noises around the cash register. He was with a woman and they were both in their young 20s (from my observation.)

The couple was now walking down the sidewalk to another store located a few away from the Old Navy we were shopping at. Part of me wanted to follow them and explain to them that what they just said was so incorrect, rude, and inhumane... but I decided to take a step back and be calm about the situation. My aunt of course hears comments like this quite frequently and although it is quit annoying it isn't anything she gets flustered about anymore and I don't know how she does it.

To me, when I see someone with a disability, whether it is autism, downs syndrome, cerebral palsy, or if I notice something out of the norm, my first instinct is not to make a comment, belittle them or make them feel any less important than anyone else.

I'm not saying I expect any sort of special treatment for people with disabilities, I'm just asking people to think twice before saying things like "control your child," "what's wrong with them," etc. There is a person behind the disability and a family full of love for them. To me my cousin was just enjoying his shopping trip with his family, and didn't even know he was doing something to inconvenience another person trying to do the same.

This is just one small situation in one small family with an autism disorder. Autism affects more people than I could ever imagine, and there's two people in my small family; imagine the rest. Think twice before saying something aloud, or thinking that someone is just having behavioral issues.