Wtf. Why would anyone care that a kid flaps his hands? To me, it’s so cute and endearing. They are visually communicating how happy and excited they are. It hurts no one, only spreads joy. Sorry you went through that 😕
It only led to me masking it, I wouldn’t really say it was traumatising. And it’s probably for the best that I cut out the habit 🤣
However, that’s not where my frustrations lie. My mother contacted my primary school and asked them about it and if I did it during the day or just with my mum around, etc. My mum obviously isn’t an expert in Child psychology, however the school should have probably seen it as a tell-tale sign of autism. Instead they just told me off for doing it. Ironically it became a joke among my friends who just thought “That’s just flax being flax”.
Years later I have finished compulsory education and I am seeing a psychiatric nurse, he just mentions “oh and just to make sure, you have autism by the way?” and it was the first I heard of it. He told me that he had just assumed that I had it. Was put on a several year long waiting list and finally got diagnosed.
Also turns out several family members thought I had it, one who was studying to be a teacher, but my mum just ignored their opinion ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (not to rip on her or anything, she just wasn’t as well educated on it, had just assumed all people with autism were low functioning)
Because some people interpret it as flamboyantly queer when a male does it.