Tag: autism life

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Non-Verbal Communication

Hubby and I took Buddy to town with us last week and we decided to stop at Denny’s to get lunch.

I cannot tell you how much I love doing this.  Mostly because 7 years ago, doing something so basic as going to lunch with Buddy was something that would cause me major anxiety, and quite honestly, we just wouldn’t do it.

This is one of the goals that I have to credit his care giver for.  She has been phenomenal, I think it’s because she is a foodie and takes Buddy to all of her favorite restaurants. And now he is a foodie too!

Anyway,  we took Buddy to lunch at Denny’s and when we got there, we had a 5 minute wait.  I kept whispering to him, “You’re doing great” “We just have to wait a few minutes” “I am so proud of you”.

We get seated and I sit on the outside of the booth and he is on the inside.  As we order our food and wait, I have my arm around him and I keep telling him those same statements.   I also turned on Spotify, because as we all know, music can be magic to an autistic.

Our food comes and Buddy eats every bite and a few of mine too.  Then as we wait for the check, he puts his arms around me and pulls me so tight to him that my glasses almost fall off my face.  As he kisses my cheek, I hear it, not with my ears, but with my heart.

My non-verbal son, just said “Thank you Mom, I love when you take me to lunch, and I love you!”   as he held me and kissed me again, I felt him say “You’re doing great, I am so proud of you!”

As we drove home and I pondered this wonderful experience, it occurred to me he does this every time I take him to lunch.  I think we need to do it more often!

 

~ASM

 

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A Nightmare Come True aka Autism and Hurricane Florence

If you are a special needs parent, then one of your biggest fears is chaos, I’m not talking about your child’s favorite cup being in the dishwasher, or his favorite episode of Friends being accidentally erased from the DVR.  I am talking about, not being able to plan a vacation  for fear that it will be ruined because your child may get over stimulated or have the meltdown of all meltdowns.

We this wasn’t a vacation….this was a hurricane!

Thankfully we had a few days to prepare before we were evacuated.  I stuffed huge plastic bags with blankets, sheets, stuffed animals and as many clothes as I could find.

Why would I pack everything in my linen closet and in my son’s drawers?  Because on top of being scared that we wouldn’t have a house to come back to, or that the house we were staying at may get hit harder and we may get injured. I was TERRIFIED that my incontinent  adult son, would wet through his Depends and urinate on our host’s furniture, and carpets.   Not only ruining someone else’s belongings, but running out of changes of clothes and linens that we would be unable to wash.  As well as the fear of him getting set off and being inconsolable.

So our Thursday started out with us loading our vehicles with pets and plastic bags.  I gave Buddy a bath, so that his routine wouldn’t be “off” as well as knowing it may be his last bath for a few days.

We stayed with family, so Buddy is comfortable at their home and they are familiar with him.  I brought some plastic mats that I made (Old flannel backed tablecloth cut in half and folded) and placed them (doubled up) with a throw blanket on top for extra absorption, on the couch where Buddy would sit for the next few days.

We brought air mattresses, and we took big trash bags and duct taped them to the mattress that Buddy would sleep on.  Then put a sheet over that.

I made sure he had several of his favorite belongings…pillows, toys and most important… his MP3 player,  my laptop and the Friend’s DVD collection.

Thankfully, there were no incidents or meltdowns.  We spent 6 days there and Buddy was near perfect.   I think he even tried not to pee.  There was one day that he didn’t urinate at all, which started to concern me, but he has since made up for it.  lol

I do have to say that for those 5 days,  we cuddled, held hands, rubbed heads and had some wonderful mother/son moments.

So,  90% of my anxiety was worrying about Buddy and how this experience was going to effect him.  When in fact, he was the easiest part of it all!

Safe, sound and home, in our own beds.

~ASM

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Do you ever wonder what your child would be like if he/she didn’t have an intellectual disability?

Buddy is now 26, so I sometimes wonder what he would be like if he were a typical 26yr old.

I know he would be funny.

He would love pizza AND broccoli.

He would not like wrinkled clothes or striped shirts.

He would be slightly self impressed.  Not passing a mirror without taking a gander at himself.

He would be very laid back and non-confrontational.

I imagine that he would work with his hands…fixing airplanes or cars (like his uncle and grandfather)  most likely.

He would love dogs and cats, and would have 2 dogs, one named Scooby and one Clifford.

He would drive a 4×4 but have desire to also own a shiny sports car and a John Deere.

He would watch old sitcoms and documentaries.  And have a great knowledge of music and a vast library of CDs.

He wouldn’t be a leader or a follower…but a “by your side all the way” friend.

He would be a sweet, loving, affectionate person.

How do I know?  Because these are all traits and likes that he already has.