Posts Tagged father of child with autism
Shoeless Joe
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Silly Behaviors on May 24, 2010
Clay wears sneakers all day at school, but the moment he comes in our back door off they come. The picture to the left is the view one minute after Clay came home from school on Friday. A visit to the afternoon snacks and removal of the sneakers. It is not such a bad thing inside—although we have an old farmhouse with irregular wooden floors—because he keeps his socks on. The dilemma is outside.
In warm weather, trying to keeping Clay inside is like standing between a fat lady and an ice cream cone. Ultimately, you are going to wind up with an empty hand, counting to make sure you still have all 10 sticky fingers. Problem is that he is always on the move—inside, outside, inside, outside—and every time he comes in, flinging the door wide open, the shoes come off. Read the rest of this entry »
Into the Classroom
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Communicating on May 12, 2010
This morning, we met with Clay’s teacher and the support network that works with him at school to discuss goals for next year. (He attends an autistic support class at our local middle school, and is moving on to the high school in the fall.) While he didn’t attend the meeting, we decided to let Clay set the agenda.
He has been communicating his feelings about school lately, and his message has been consistent. Sunday night, was typical. He was crying. On the keyboard, he typed that he was upset about school. When we asked why, he typed that he was bored.
A little later, my wife asked him what we could do to make school better for him. Read the rest of this entry »
Mystery Solved
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Communicating on April 20, 2010
It was late one Sunday morning at the end of spring break, and Clay couldn’t stop crying. We were all frustrated.
Was he sad? Angry? In pain? Since he is nonverbal, it is a guessing game based on body language and other circumstances. Sometimes a mystery worthy of Sherlock Holmes. He banged his head a few times with his fist. That often means he has a headache. While the rest of us seek quiet and soft lighting when our head hurts, we’ve learned that Clay often reacts in the opposite manner, becoming loud and mobile. We know we guessed correctly if he quiets down about 30 minutes later. Sometimes he bangs his head with his fist because his brain is not working the way he would want. As if he is trying to kick start it. Sometimes he is frustrated about something he can’t do. Hard to know for sure.
But now that Clay is learning to use a talking keyboard, we had an opportunity to get an answer directly from the source.
Still Looking
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Silly Behaviors on April 19, 2010
My wife and I take a different approach to cooking. She can scan the refrigerator and pantry at 5:30 and ad lib a healthy, tasty meal we are happily chomping on by 6:15. Me? “Winging it” is not in my vocabulary. I follow recipes. With great care and precision. I double check amounts. If the recipe calls for 1.267 ounces of curdled fish sauce, I’m adding 1.267 ounces of curdled fish sauce. (“Season to taste” in a recipe drives me crazy.)
So, the other day I was cooking a lentil stew and had all my ingredients neatly arranged on the counter. (Since we have to keep our pantry and refrigerator locked, it’s easier to get everything out in one trip.) I was carefully following along with the recipe. Read the rest of this entry »
“Have Mike Read”
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Communicating on April 16, 2010
The consultant’s office was filled with hand-held spinning lights, noise makers, squeezable balls and lots of books. Clay particularly enjoyed a vibrating “snake” he could hold in his hand or loop around his neck. But nothing was enticing him to sit at the table in front of the electronic keyboard we wanted him to learn how to use. He chose instead to spin in an office chair, explore a desk and computer setup on the other side of the room and make frequent dashes for the steps that led to freedom.
I moved my chair in front of his escape route. My wife sat a few feet away. The consultant and a guy named Mike who was watching Clay a few afternoons each week, sat at the table. We had a couple hours ahead and no plans to leave until Clay engaged in some manner with that keyboard. Read the rest of this entry »
Magnificent Obsession
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Silly Behaviors on March 29, 2010
Clay certainly has some interesting obsessions. For one, we can’t keep a bottle of hydrogen peroxide in the house. We’ve tried. We buy them. We put them behind locked doors. (Many doors in our house have locks, a topic for another time.) If we slip, though (leave a door unlocked, leave a bottle out for just a second), he will find it, and he will dump it in the sink. Sure, he likes to dump shampoo and liquid soap, too. But he attacks hydrogen peroxide like a hungry dog going after a dropped hot dog.
Clay also obsessively turns on lights. As the guy who pays the electric bill every month, I obsessively turn lights off. This leads to some interesting conflicts. Read the rest of this entry »
Life With Clay 