novembre ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- birthdays, snot and fallen trees (you know the theme song played at the entrance of every FAO swartz toy store in america? welcome to our world repeated over and over? it was running through my head today as i thought about explaining my job to anyone unfamiliar with autism.) LONG DAY at work. the day program (where many autistic people over the age of 22 who can't live independently go during the day) held a drum-a-thon, much like a jog-a-thon you may remember participating in at your elementary school, but sans jogging. drumming. everyone from the school and the day program piled into vans and took over pt. richmond park, barbequing and playing next to a miniature lake overlooking the san francisco bay and the golden gate bridge. picturesque except for the constant rocking, incessant hooting, whatnot. constant autistic drumming at a park makes me think that the normal people watching us suspected we were a cult, calling thanks to our leader for macrame and footballs, of which there were plenty. austin hated the drumming and after much crying was steered back to his favourite swing on the other side of the park. i hid his sodas in trees so other students wouldn't steal them. i changed his diaper because he doesn't understand the concept of bathrooms. we giggled and swung all day. picturesque except for cars breaking down and teacher's aides telling each other what to do. for stolen sodas and broken tree branches. for the rotten luck of allergens. LONG but lovely. today was also austin's birthday; seven years old. we sang to him and gave him extra diet coke (all he drinks is soda; his teeth are falling out) he doesn't even answer when his name is called. austin lives in his own world and is very hard to decipher. his sensory skills aren't recieving information accurately. billy smacked him a giant one in the van on the way to the park, and austin barely blinked. but if i hold his hand when he doesn't want me to, he'll push me away and mumble, shaking his wrists. most things tickle him, physically and comically. he laughs at bubbles and stupid faces. he smiles when you smile and then he giggles and you start grinning and he grins and it's just one giant cute chain reaction. i am constantly picking him up and spinning him around, proud that i can make him so happy. afterwards he cuddles his head into my shoulder and looks straight at me, smiling, snot running down his face. 4:30 pm - 05.24.02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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