Reminders

Oftentimes I forget I have a child with autism. Since it's something that's such a normal part of our lives we just consider our household "normal". After all, what is normal anyway?

But sometimes little things will happen and I'm reminded that my son isn't exactly like everyone else. This isn't a good thing nor is it a bad thing, it just is.

Today I found him "lining up cars". He does this from time to time. Today he just lined them up but it's not unusual to find him lining up cars by color, shape and type. He does this with blocks as well. I've seen many "rainbow" towers built where the colors are stacked.

When he immerses himself into this kind of "play" you can't get his attention and his focus is 100% on the task at hand. If someone bumps his work or disturbs it he will get extremely upset and can only be calmed when everything is back in it's proper place.

Of course, this kind of behavior is what tipped me off in the first place that something was different. I'll never forget walking downstairs that morning and seeing all of his toy cars lined from one wall all the way over to the other. If you've ever seen the movie "The Sixth Sense" when the Mother walks into the kitchen and all the cabinets are opened, that is how I felt. The hair rose up on the back of my neck and I just "knew".

He's still improving and I'm so proud of him and love him so much. Words cannot express how much he has shown me and taught me about myself and the world.