My quote “normal” twin had a meltdown when she was 6. Her special needs sister wasn’t feeling well and we had to leave a skating party early.
She was seaming and yelling and throwing things in the car.
I pulled into a McDonald’s Parking lot and told her to get out of the car.
I wouldn’t let her back in while she was screaming.
A guy saw this and starting yelling that he was going to call the cops for child abuse for me.
Then he noticed my other daughter in the car.
The one that was screaming shut up quickly and hot in the car when he started coming over.
She never behaved poorly in public again. She’s 21 and remembers it. She’ll admit that she was terrible.
My neurotypical child also knows how to put on a big show. Same deal with us, of my two youngest, one has special needs and the other doesn’t. Yesterday in the grocery store I woulda let you buy them both for $3. (And they were in good moods... just wild and playful)