Communication

My boyfriend has undiagnosed Asperger Syndrome. Makes things difficult sometimes, what with the communication problems that come with that and the ones I have due to my ADHD. We had a bit of a blow up last night. Not really a fight, just a bit of difficulty that we were eventually able to resolve.

This afternoon, I had a session with a 13 year old autistic girl (this is a private contract, not through the agency). We went out to the book store and then hit Starbucks, where she got herself a Jones root beer.

Those familiar with Jones soda know that the lids contain sayings from fortune cookies.

Before I tell you what this girl's lid said, let me tell you a bit about her.

L is 13, tall and solid. She prefers to speak, does not read, and is extraordinarily good at puzzles, when she can focus. She gets stressed on occasion and has what appear to be small absence seizures (which have never been picked up on in neurological testing). She loves to go out and do things. When she has a meltdown, it's a quiet storm that typically includes tears, hair pulling (mine, not hers), attempts to get at some food, grabbing at people, pinching, and scratching (not violent pinching and scratching, just holding tightly and digging in). Speech is difficult for her, though it is her preferred method of communication. Her apparent functioning level is that of a much younger person.

She loves Franklin books and DVDs, Shrek, looking at pictures, talking about what we're going to do next, flipping puzzle pieces, and asking questions. She adores music and often chooses to listen to a CD or her MP3 player when she needs to calm down. She likes Arthur books as well, and loves to watch The Sound of Music over and over - just specific scenes, of the songs she likes best (Edelweiss, So Long Farewell, and sometimes The Lonely Goatherd).

And today, her Jones soda lid said, "You were born with the skill to easily communicate with people."

I don't know if that's irony or a prediction of her future.