Yesterday was one of those days were I was more aware of being a parent of a Spectrum Kid than usual.
For the most part, day to day life is simply that. Life. Now and then my youngest does/says something cute/remarkable, or he has a tantrum/meltdown. USually it's just us all going on with ourselves and being what we are.
Yesterday a couple things happened that made the whole life w/ autism thing just up and wave it's silly hands at me and say "Hey, lookitme!!!!"
I took the boys to the "wackyland" playground on base. It's one of those mondo-big play structures with slides, bridges, and all kinds of things that kids seem to love. Older DS ran off to do his thang, hanging out w/ some pals he knew. YOunger DS, as usual, set off at a run to go do his own thang.
A little while after we got there I became aware that a little girl was hanging around my younger DS. JUdging by the facts that she knew him by name, and by her size and apparent age I'd guess they went to same school (not the same class, I know all 8 of the kids in his class). She kept asking my son if he wanted to play hide-n-seek. DS didn't respond, heck he didn't even look at the girl. I was sorely tempted to go and intervene, but I held back. I really wanted to see how this would play out. The girl was amazingly patient w/ my lad, adding to my suspicions that she knew him. She followed him around, chattering, sliding w/ him and so on. He didn't react much to her at all. After a little bit she kinda veered off and started playing w/ some other kids. DS didn't seem to notice her departure. About ten minutes later DS comes running across the playground, making a beeline towards the little girl. He taps her on the shoulder, leans around so he can look her right in the face and says "Hiiiii!" He makes a big wave when he does this. It's almost as if it'd just suddenly occured to him that someone was interacting w/ him.
Sadly, the little girl by this time wasn't interested in playing w/ him and she just sort of brushed him off. My sweet DS stood there for a bit. I could see his face, he was looking towards me but not at me. For just a moment, the tiniest moment (had I blinked I would have missed it) he looked sad and lost. Then the moment passed and his usual expression took over. He saw me and waved with a grin and took off again.
This nearly brought me to tears.
Fast forward to late afternoon.
We decided to have a late lunch/early supper (lupper as Momma used to say). Older DS really wanted to give hamburgers another try. So we fired up the grill. DH and I had turkey burgers, and we made some hamburgers for the boys. We did't expect younger DS to do much with one but we were determined he would at least take a good lick of one, or maybe a nibble.
Older DS sat there delightedly eating his own hamburger saying (while looking at his little brother and speaking in an exaggerated tone) "Mmmmm, this is so yummy! Look at me eat my burger!"
Somewhere along the line, nonchalantly, younger DS picks up the bit o' burger we put on his plate. Without looking at it he just kind pinches a piece of it off and pops it in his mouth. I wait for the "yuck" face, but it didn't come. He put the burger down. As per routine we made nothing of it, and told Sammy "shh" before he got too excited by it. (If we get excited by something like that he tends to not do it again.) A little later he took a couple more pinches of burger. In the end he ate maybe 1/8 of the piece we gave him. But...still...
Shortly after that younger DS left the table... and then DHhad to explain to my older DS the difference between happy tears and sad tears.
Frankly, I wasn't able to at the time.
For the most part, day to day life is simply that. Life. Now and then my youngest does/says something cute/remarkable, or he has a tantrum/meltdown. USually it's just us all going on with ourselves and being what we are.
Yesterday a couple things happened that made the whole life w/ autism thing just up and wave it's silly hands at me and say "Hey, lookitme!!!!"
I took the boys to the "wackyland" playground on base. It's one of those mondo-big play structures with slides, bridges, and all kinds of things that kids seem to love. Older DS ran off to do his thang, hanging out w/ some pals he knew. YOunger DS, as usual, set off at a run to go do his own thang.
A little while after we got there I became aware that a little girl was hanging around my younger DS. JUdging by the facts that she knew him by name, and by her size and apparent age I'd guess they went to same school (not the same class, I know all 8 of the kids in his class). She kept asking my son if he wanted to play hide-n-seek. DS didn't respond, heck he didn't even look at the girl. I was sorely tempted to go and intervene, but I held back. I really wanted to see how this would play out. The girl was amazingly patient w/ my lad, adding to my suspicions that she knew him. She followed him around, chattering, sliding w/ him and so on. He didn't react much to her at all. After a little bit she kinda veered off and started playing w/ some other kids. DS didn't seem to notice her departure. About ten minutes later DS comes running across the playground, making a beeline towards the little girl. He taps her on the shoulder, leans around so he can look her right in the face and says "Hiiiii!" He makes a big wave when he does this. It's almost as if it'd just suddenly occured to him that someone was interacting w/ him.
Sadly, the little girl by this time wasn't interested in playing w/ him and she just sort of brushed him off. My sweet DS stood there for a bit. I could see his face, he was looking towards me but not at me. For just a moment, the tiniest moment (had I blinked I would have missed it) he looked sad and lost. Then the moment passed and his usual expression took over. He saw me and waved with a grin and took off again.
This nearly brought me to tears.
Fast forward to late afternoon.
We decided to have a late lunch/early supper (lupper as Momma used to say). Older DS really wanted to give hamburgers another try. So we fired up the grill. DH and I had turkey burgers, and we made some hamburgers for the boys. We did't expect younger DS to do much with one but we were determined he would at least take a good lick of one, or maybe a nibble.
Older DS sat there delightedly eating his own hamburger saying (while looking at his little brother and speaking in an exaggerated tone) "Mmmmm, this is so yummy! Look at me eat my burger!"
Somewhere along the line, nonchalantly, younger DS picks up the bit o' burger we put on his plate. Without looking at it he just kind pinches a piece of it off and pops it in his mouth. I wait for the "yuck" face, but it didn't come. He put the burger down. As per routine we made nothing of it, and told Sammy "shh" before he got too excited by it. (If we get excited by something like that he tends to not do it again.) A little later he took a couple more pinches of burger. In the end he ate maybe 1/8 of the piece we gave him. But...still...
Shortly after that younger DS left the table... and then DHhad to explain to my older DS the difference between happy tears and sad tears.
Frankly, I wasn't able to at the time.
