While the world was partying last night because it was Friday, S wanted to celebrate in her own way. When you live with an autistic person, your schedule is often different than the typical.
The first point of celebrating the end of the week for her was macaroni and cheese for dinner. She would eat this everyday of her life if she could but accepts that we have to eat other things, too. After dinner, she wanted to go to watch roller coasters. She is officially enamored with the Superman roller coaster at Darien Lake but since it costs a fortune to get into the park to see it, she said she wanted to see the Jack Rabbit at Seabreeze Park. We drove along the perimeter of the park to see all the rides. I told her we could not spend money to go into the park every day (we just went three days ago) so she was happy to look at the rides from the outside. She won't actually get on any type of ride that moves (and they all move, of course), so all we ever do is watch.
There is something in her brain that loves wheels. She loves the way they look and the way they sound. She could watch and listen to wheels forever. When she was young, we had to stop whenever there was a wheelchair van or bus in sight. She would watch the wheelchair lift go up and down and watch people in wheelchairs roll off the van. This made her day. Fast forward to today and it is roller coasters that now rock her world.
We sat in the parking lot of Seabreeze for the next hour watching the Jack Rabbit whiz past us over and over. S briskly paced up and down the length of the coaster, happily flapping her arms. Some people see the arm-flapping as a warning sign of agitation, but I see it as an overspill of emotions. She is physically displaying deep feelings when she does this - good or bad. I video-taped the roller coaster and she watched it repeatedly all the way home.
We finished our night with S watching more roller coasters on YouTube then we watched a movie together. Last night - Dennis the Menace. We watch part of a movie every night. It's part of her ritual. She measures her day through predictable rituals.
And that was our Friday night.
Hi there! I love your blog name-"Respect. Accept. Include." I just might adopt it as my motto! I also love that you do everything in your power to ensure an enjoyable life for S.
ReplyDeleteWhen my now 22 yo son was little he ONLY flapped when happily excited. He was rarely ever agitated at all! He was much easier than my daughter has been.
I think we might be in the same neck of the woods. I know Darien Lake! It has been nice meeting you. I invite you to check out #23 on the Love That Max special needs linky list!
Hi Sylvia, I did check your blog. I can't imagine how parents supervise their kids 24 hours a day. I guess we all find a way. I like your "new normal" attitude. It reminds me we have to redefine normal.
ReplyDeleteAw, love that. My kids have simple joys and pleasures, too.... It's wonderful that she can enjoy watching roller coasters, and you can let her, without trying to get her to the next step or riding them. This is something I struggle with sometimes -- accepting them the way they are, and not trying to force them to act like other kids. I'm getting better about it every day.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it is a balance. Sometimes we accept and sometimes we have to encourage them to change to better fit in.
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