The 1st Dentist Visit

My son was about 4yrs old at this time and although he hadn’t been “labeled” I still knew he was quite different. It was a sensitive subject for me, and I’ll explain. My son, like most autistic individuals, was very sensitive to touch. That goes double for strangers. I took him to the dentist which was needed at this time. He was called to the back when it was his turn. No more than 15mins later the dentist calls me to the back. He asked me “is there something wrong with your boy?” I immediately took offense and asked him to explain. He could tell that I was getting upset so he changed his tone but his next question wasn’t any better. “What I mean is, is he slow?” Now the word “slow“ infuriates me when used to describe my son. So yes, I lost it and no I’m not proud of that. He eventually explained that because my son wouldn’t let anyone touch him or even sit still that he would have to use a method of strapping him down to get the work done. A big part of me wanted to grab my son and run as far as we could out of there, but I couldn’t. He really needed the work done. I agreed and had to watch my son strapped to a table in discomfort and I was torn. How could something as simple as a dental visit turn into this? 