Nov 10 2008
Manic Monday: Bounty
Prompt from Mo at Manic Monday .
Hmm…things that we have a bounty of in our lives right now:
Days off and half days - These are bountiful this month and next. Between holidays, parent/teacher conference days, and any other reason the district can find to shut down, Gus will be home an awful lot. So much for the consistency and structure that he needs in order to function. However, we will get the opportunity for some home learning. Unfortunately, this also means less time during the day for me to work. And when work does not get done, the paychecks are not so bountiful.
Toys and stuff that needs to not be in this house - Every year when the holidays roll around, I try to weed out toys that are a) no longer age appropriate b) broken c) not ever played with. The toy chests are overly bountiful. The purging never seems to work, which is becoming a problem. Gus has a hard enough time focusing without having a gazillion options. Also, trying to help him learn to be more independent in cleaning up after himself becomes even more difficult for him when the amount of things he has to be responsible for is so overwhelming. And his is the more organized of the two kids’ bedrooms. Don’t get me started on his sister’s…
Cheese - If I had known how bountiful the joy would be just from such a simple thing as being allowed to eat cheese, I never would have stripped it from Gus’s diet. He’s been eating dairy again for a few weeks now, and I haven’t seen a significant difference in behavior or focus.
So, to sum up, if it was not clear enough, kids on the autism spectrum (and probably kids in general) benefit from structure and consistency, are not helped by clutter, and are not harmed (unless there is some other gastric sensitivity or allergy) by dairy products. And that’s all she wrote today. Your thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated!
