Saturday Chaos and Rule Breakers

She says:

Saturdays can be so confusing for an autism child. Each one is different and no two are alike. Parents are usually rushing to do chores or play and don't want to be on a schedule or a routine. This particular Saturday, I insisted we go as a family to a pumpkin patch.

This is where the rule breaking part comes in.

My son with autism had shown no enthusiasm at the pumpkin patch. He wasn't responding to us in any way. He seemed like he'd rather take a nap than look at animals or pumpkins. We'd ask him to smile for photos and it all seemed like a huge effort on his part. Nothing was sparking his interest. He was unresponsive in every way today.

That is, nothing, until he spilled his water bottle on a goat and the animal jerked away and stuck his neck back out. Dylan continued to pour water on the goats and they'd jerk away and he'd crack up laughing. My sister asked, are you sure this is behavior you want to encourage? I wasn't sure, but it was the first time that he had responded to anything all day. So, I had to continue watching. A few other boys near the goats started to laugh with him. Soon, all three boys shared water bottles and threw squirts at the goats. It was our first sign all day of human involvement and we were thrilled.

Another mom was not so thrilled, she stormed over and yelled at my son, "that makes me very sad when you hurt the goats!" I wanted to yell back, do you not see how alive my son? He has a glow in his eyes and is laughing with other kids! But, I knew she wouldn't get it.

You see, autism moms, are a rare breed. We celebrate when they lie -- that means they understand language in a complex way. We cheer when they fight with other kids or siblings -- that means they are interacting and sticking with the kids. We let them jump all over the couches and beds -- it's a cheap form of OT therapy and usually keeps them involved with other kids. We'll do anything to keep their attention, bring them out of the cloud or fuzz they live under. We have a strange set of rules to live by.