James' PDA Rules

There is on cool thing that I love about my son's autism. Seriously! I enjoyed what I will call "extended little kid-ness." No not the non-verbal part.  Not the lack of comprehension or ability part.  That beyond sucks.  It was the unabashed little kid love and appreciation thing. Hugs, kisses and holding hands! I had it until recently when I was told that I wasn't allowed to kiss him in public.  Eleven years was a good run!  On the street, I now put my arm around him.  Let's see how long that lasts.  

Homeschool Paean

Yes, I do, love it that much (although I admit that the idea was a bit daunting). In theory, we liked the idea and talked about it as a future, much researched and planned project.  Instead we jumped into homeschooling because we had to: James had to be removed from an inadequite and unsafe environment.  His fears prohibited us from simply placing him in a new school. The reality was exhausting.  At first it was excruciatingly painful. One day it took 5 hours to get through A SINGLE lesson.  I thought James would never stop whining and complaining.  I even wore his noise cancelling headphones (those things don't work). But then it just happened.  I have no idea when because it wasn't sudden.  But James finally understood numbers, he understood values. He fell in love with history.  Science awed him. It helped him to understand a world too overwhelming for him to experience firsthand (yes, those are his words). He discovered art.  He liked his paintings and knew he was talented. He was proud! Little by little, our bond, our trust crept into other parts of life. James began to communicating with others besides me. "Talking" with his iPad and communication app, Proloquo2Go.  And he was "talking" in sentences, about his feelings, his hopes, his dreams and about his autism.  We started going everywhere together, even to a crowded supermarket of panicked shoppers before a snowstorm. It hit me how far we have come when I realized I wasn't dreading extended alone time with my son.  It sounds foriegn to me now, but previously, I had been apprehensive when my husband had to work late or on the weekend.  Homeschooling has turned everything into a shared bond.  I know what he likes, how to tease him, I know how to grab his interest, how and when to push him, what his triggers are and how to cope with them, and, perhaps more importantly, James does too! Homeschooling gave my kid a feeling of security and of confidence.  We treated him like a kid and he began acting like one. Yes he is autistic but he isn't being defined by it anymore. This is what he says: