Most of the folks I follow on twitter are fellow autism parents (and yes, okay, celebrities and celebrity gossipers). Anyway, there has been a lot of talk lately about how some of them are so, so grateful that Christmas is over, because they can finally take everything down and peel their spectrum kid off the ceiling. I don't take my decorations down until January 1st, and it's always a mix of relief that my house is back to normal and post-Christmas what-do-we-have-to-look-forward-to gloom. Jonah totally rocked this Christmas, and was thrilled by every little bit. He insisted we take the long way home every day during the season, and pointed at every (EVERY) decorated house, squealing and screaming, "Yikes!" (note: this is a hold-over from Halloween decorations, but the point is... enthusiasm). Lights, carols, loud toys from Santa, parties and busy schedules- he was into all of it. Because, in the world of autism, we have this one advantage. Jonah is a seeker.
Like most kids on the spectrum, Jonah has sensory processing disorder, and "seeker" refers to sensory-seeking, as opposed to sensory-avoiding. For avoiders, Christmas is a sensory nightmare. Everything is too loud, too bright, too much. As a parent of two neurotypical children, and being a full-blown Christmas wackadoo myself, having to avoid Christmas would certainly suck. And this is how it is. Yes, my kid is autistic, but I'm SO grateful he's a seeker. You sort through the bullshit and find the little gems to be grateful for. Times I'm less grateful for his seeking might include when he's grinding his skull against mine, or grinding his teeth down to dust, or launching himself at me or his sisters, but I can put up twinkle lights, so I'll take it.
Segue: Okay, so I keep calling Jonah a seeker, right? I've decided I'm going to write the next Harry Potter/Twilight-type series of young adult books, and the hero will be a Seeker. It will turn out that autism is actually one step further up the evolutionary ladder, or a mutation that confers awesome powers in an X-men sort of way. Seriously, it's not so far-fetched. High-functioning autistics are sometimes uniquely gifted at problem solving or code breaking (or anything, really- many savants are autistic). My own seeker taught himself to read (hyperlexia) is fairly masterful for his age at puzzles and patterns, and Lord knows what else he can do or understand. I CANNOT WAIT for his verbal communication to catch up, so I can get a better grip on what's going on in there. Anyway, the Seeker will be a blonde scruffy-haired teenager (he still loathes haircuts, evidently) who basically kicks ass and solves the world's problems, or whatever.
Okay, I don't have the details worked out yet, but what do you think? I'm thinking multi-book deal, movie deal, and inevitable (sensory-friendly) theme park. I mean, I'm not living in my car like JK Rowling, but I could use some extra cash. Honestly, the middle-class-to-riches story just doesn't get enough cred.
Especially when our (expensive) insurance does not cover the therapies our special-needs kids deserve.
ANYWAY... I hope that you all found a way to have the happiest holiday possible, and that you found joy in just being with each other. Here's to 2012 and getting back to school and highly structured environments!
