I’ve got Beth home sick today. We had a school picnic last night which was fabulous, what a great school community we have. Bethie had lots of fun wandering around but she had a persistant cough and a runny nose. She came in with me last night and coughed for most of the night so I made the decision to let her stay home today. I regretfully decided that I’d have to miss art class. Then I figured that she’d probably just be watching dvds at home anyway so she could do that at Tiff’s house. She was really good so I was glad I went, I got lots done and I saw Beth open up and show a side that we often don’t see.
Beth’s always been good with Tiff and she hasn’t seen her for a while. We walked in and the first thing Beth said was “I like your hair Tiff.” Tiff had her hair cut a little while ago now but Beth hasn’t seen her in probably about a year. She notices things that nobody else does, especially not kids. She looked around the kitchen and commented how small her house was. Tiff replied that it was just the kitchen! Beth hasn’t been there before. She soon discovered where the dvds and videos were and went to work searching for what she wanted. She’s very narrow minded in which she knew which dvds she wanted, she just didn’t know that Tiff didn’t have them. Tiff’s husband Terry was there and Beth hadn’t seen him in even longer but as usual she remembered his name. She then took over the remote to put on the subtitles etc, she had a real knack for these things and often shows me where I am going wrong.
When it was time to go Tiff thanked her for coming. You could almost see the cogs turning as Beth nearly said thanks back. Then she looked at Tiff and said “Your welcome.” She then asked where Terry had gone as he had left for work.
Often with kids like Beth, I’m sure people think that they’re oblivious to what’s going on. If they seem to be absorbed in ‘their own little world’ it’s like they’re not participating in ‘our world’ at all. Beth remembers everything. She asks people about their families and their animals as well as their likes and dislikes, and stores them away. When Rod was talking about his brother at Sensational Kids Beth said “You mean Simon.” He was amazed that she remembered. That’s one of the things that makes me so proud of her. She cares enough to ask, then it shows that she’s interested because she brings these facts up. She might ask somebody how their child or pet is by name, even adult’s parents, she remembers it all.
I’ll just finish off with something that I read on facebook this morning. Don’t tell a child on the spectrum that they can’t do something that they’re already doing. If they’re already doing it then they know it can be done. You should say they shouldn’t be doing it or that they’re not to do it. They are so literal that you need to explain exactly what you mean. My Beth is great at loopholes, if there’s one to be found, she’ll find it. Sarcasm and hidden meanings just don’t work for these kids.
Have a great weekend everybody xxx
