Thankful for Autism?

She Says:

We just survived another holiday -- it's always with mixed joy that I take a break from Dylan's therapies and allow myself to enjoy him and the season. I say mixed because in some ways I hate to break his routine and the momentum we are making. I know it's always a struggle for him to get back on track and continue the progress. But, I also really enjoy the time being around him more. This Thanksgiving break, he had a week off. I loved hearing him talk more and his voice is getting louder.

First, we had Grandpa Staples' first visit to Dallas. Dylan had just barely gotten out of school for the Thanksgiving week and seemed to want to take a break from talking. He didn't say too much to Grandpa, but was very happy to have him around. It broke my heart because Dylan thought he was getting on the plane to go back with Grandpa to Utah. He loves it there. I really believe he feels very loved there, but also very happy to be away from all his therapies.

Next, came Grandpa Lewis. Dylan talked the most with his wife Vicki. He loved that she'd play computer with him and get into his toys. Dylan would go off on his own, but Vicki would follow. And Dylan really enjoyed that. He wasn't too thrilled about the Thanksgiving meal. He's still such a picky eater and I gave him a rest from working on new foods. (Or should I say, I gave mom a rest?) So, to be honest, he ate Chex Mex and noodles. UGH!

Then, we headed to San Antonio to see Grandma/Grandpa Pascoe. Dylan was soo excited to be driving to their house. The highlight of the trip was that he got to sleep in their walk-in closet on an air mattress. This is what he most talks about. I don't know what it was, but by this point in the week, Dylan decided he liked talking again. He talked a lot, and loudly, to Grandma. This made me happy. Mom said she could see a huge spike in his language since October. Yay! I don't know if it's the vitamins we are stuffing down him or his own desire, but it made my Thanksgiving more thankful!

Grandma took us to the Science Museum. Dylan was acting horribly there. He was running around, escaping and screaming often. I couldn't figure out why he was acting so erratically. We were in a dinosaur exhibit and the model animals were roaring loudly enough to vibrate the room. After getting mad at him a few times, I held him on my lap and tried to calm him. He finally said, "IT HURTS!" My heart broke, I realized I was forcing him to enjoy something that was upsetting his whole body. The auditory system in him causes him to lose control of himself. In some ways, I was thrilled he had the ability to tell me what was bothering him. In other ways, I felt badly that he couldn't enjoy things like other kids.

On the way to San Antonio, Eric was drilling me on what happened at the Alamo. I really still have no clue, except that they all died. Well, we went to visit the Alamo... with an autistic child in tow. So, I still have no idea what happened at the Alamo. We walked in and the echo inside must have been too much. A tour guide was talking to a large group of people when Dylan let out one of his hurtling screams. Every single person, including the speaker, stopped and turned to look at us. I was out of there. Eric and the family soaked in history and I paced the irrigation canal with Dylan watching the fish go in and out of their tunnels. Grandma tried to rescue me, but by that point I was resigned to watching fish and that nothing could be as interesting as watching my child could see in the water. Why does he love water so much?

Dylan is a bit obsessive right now about having sunny days. He is not at all enthused about the holidays or Christmas as he knows that means colder weather. His main concern, I believe, is whether or not he can go swimming. If Eric and I end up living in the Bahamas, it's because we got sick of hearing his nagging about warm, sunny days. Dylan lately will scream or have a tantrum if he wakes up to a rainy day. I've never wished so hard I had a direct line to God about the weather. So, tonight, we were asking Dylan what he wanted from Santa and he said "a pool." Boy, we may have to find a new Santa! One who controls the weather too!

He Says:

Dylan has a hard time with change. For example, tonight he had to have the fan on in his playroom, before he would go to bed. Holidays must be difficult for the little guy, because of all the change.

On the other side, his family was amazed at his reading ability. Just by being around his family, he learned. For months we have been trying to get him to "pump" his swing. His Grandfather figured out how to teach him in a visit.

After four years of having Tinker Toys, he has finally learned how to play Tinker Toys. Now instead of stacking wheels up, he actually builds. Thanks to one trip to his Grandmothers.

He even hugged my stepmom.

I might not be able to teach him any games, or how to treat people socially, but these parents with all of their experience were able to teach him.

Dylan is able to type. Here is what he wrote:

home numb
dogjayapplesacorncstawberryssbroccolibbananalemon (category: fruits)

She Says:

I can't let him have the last word!

He makes a great point: everything in Dylan's life has to be shown to him. Very little is intuitive. It's so beautiful for us to see our parents show him things.

One more thing to be thankful for!