Monday 1 December 2014

The Little Humongous Things

One of the gifts that Autism gives is one of unexpected surprises.

When Gabriel was originally diagnosed, G-Dad and I decided that the Developmental Milestone Chart had to take a flying leap out of the window.  Not because we don't believe these targets can be reached, but to remove the pressure of WHEN they should be reached.

You learn to take things as they come; the good and the bad.

And when the good happens, it feels like you've won the lottery!

So what happened?

Gabriel has a toy car garage.  Here's a photo of it.



If you look closely, you will see the top floor is anchored on grey poles to the bottom floor.  

However, there are only two grey poles - the other two are in Narnia, no doubt!

The problem this creates is one of balance.  The more cars on top, the more the top floor tilts until it eventually falls off.

So on Saturday, I was busy making Gabriel's bed.  G-Dad appeared in the doorway, with an absolute look of dumbfoundedness on his face.

"Our kid will never be able to go to a traditional school," G-Dad uttered.

"Why?"  I asked.

"Come and look!"

Led by the hand to the lounge, I was then instructed to lie on the floor by the toy garage, near Gabriel.  

"What do you see?" G-Dad asked.

I looked.  And then it caught my eye.  This is what I saw :


For your convenience (and my overwhelming urge to brag) I took the liberty of circling the amazing spot-the-difference area for you :).  Sorry the photo is such bad quality.  I took it on my phone and with much excitement.

Gabriel had built 2 x make-shift poles to balance his toy garage, using his building blocks (note the one in the foreground)!

On.  His.  Own.  

No help, no suggestions from us, his idea and creation - 100%.

Needless to say, G-Dad and I couldn't stop congratulating Gabriel and he was wondering around, with a big smile on his face.

Please feel free to smile about this for the rest of your day too :).