Unexpected homecoming
By Jeannette | March 2, 2012
D and T have been off school for the past two days – D with a bad reaction to some unfamiliar soap (she has very sensitive skin) and T with a tummy problem.
D has coped with the change of routine – or complete lack of it – well and they haven’t really squabbled that much. She’s been doing her drawings and colouring (which always relaxes her) and T has been doing his writing and playing on the wii. Completely different to half term when she didn’t cope with the change of routine at all.
Hubbie is having a busy day today, he’s finishing off one job (painter/decorator) for a woman who does catering from home, going to view another job and then working in a dentists surgery from when they close tonight for a few hours. So he’s not going to see me or the children very much today.
He’s just popped in – having finished the first job, with some food from the caterer customer so I don’t have to cook tonight (aaaah, bless him & his customer). Completely unexpected and as he came through the door he called out “home delivery” in a funny voice.
Because she didn’t know who it was – or why someone would be unexpectedly appearing through our back door or who was making that funny voice, D froze, then got very scared and curled up into as tiny a ball as she could.
It took about ten minutes to make her realise it was her dad and unprise her from her ball shape. I then had to explain that she was saying “goodnight” to her dad now because she won’t see him later (another routine change). All okay eventually.
Just goes to show, you can’t spring a surprise on an autistic child, however good intended!!
Happy as ever for comments, RTs etc .
J x
1 Comment
LaurieMit on 2nd March 2012 at 11:39 pm.
Good post. You are right, surprises can be tough for spectrum kids. Little Bit does better now than she did before but we still have to think through any changes or “surprises”. Even then, as you know, results can be very unpredictable. Hope everyone feels better soon !