David pointed out to me this morning that I haven’t written in a long time…also, that I tend to come to this blog as a last resort, most often when I’m fed up, in pain, mad, or in despair.
Guilty.
My writing seems to flow most easily from a place of pain. I’m not sure what that says about me. I’ve always heard that to be an artist, one has to have suffered. It seems rather fancy and pretentious to consider myself an “artist,” but since art is about creating, and I’ve created this blog…I’ll let it stand. So perhaps I’ve just taken that suffering thing too seriously.
Regardless, I want to build on a former post about Thomas and Stephen’s self-designed speech therapy. Stephen continues to love love LOVE watching various videos on YouTube. Like some autistic children David read about, Stephen doesn’t seem to be able to watch and listen simultaneously – it’s just too much to process. So, with much repetition, he will watch a video segment, then turn his head away, cocking his ear toward the speaker and listen. Watch, then listen. Watch, then listen. It can get annoying, but when you realize that he’s trying to learn, it’s a bit easier to stand it. After watching/listening, he’ll try to say whatever’s being said, or sing the song being played. It’s really precious to see.
We’ve continued to notice that he is also using the phrases appropriately in various situations during his day. “Whatever is HAPPENING?” is a popular one when he’s, well, wondering what is happening. We still hear “I can’t stop! Help! Help!” or “Oh, no, I’m in trouble!” when there’s a crisis. And this morning, a sleepy Stephen who wasn’t ready to get dressed for school declared: “Of all the beastly luck! Confound that ridiculous Colonel Hathi.” (Stephen is Shere Khan the tiger and I am Colonel Hathi the elephant in this scenario. That’s from “The Jungle Book,” for the uninitiated.)
It is no less than astounding to see this boy, so trapped and encumbered by autism, continue to find his own way to communicate. He is still a delight and a joy when he is happy – dancing through our lives with his smiles and belly laughs.
Overall, things at our house are, dare I say it, smooth at the moment. David, Kerry and I have settled into the relative peace, and as a team we are learning more about riding the waves of Stephen’s ups and downs. It helps to have each other to lean on. Kerry is as laid back as ever, calm and unruffled. David has become rather masterful at figuring out the reasons behind some of Stephen’s meltdowns. And thanks to my doctor’s help, I seem to have found a good anti-anxiety medicine, and I feel stronger and more capable of weathering those storms.
Thanks to David for giving me the nudge to write this morning. It’s good to acknowledge the bright moments, and I’ve neglected to do that at times. So, we will keep taking each day as it comes, knowing that we really can handle whatever happens.
