February 27, 2006 12:11 am
A T-Shirt and 25%
The opportunities for gaining insight into my boys’ thinking continues to come at the times when I least expect it.
I made a business trip last week to Central Florida. Yes, it was one of those rare business trips that takes me to somewhere to which I would actually travel for pleasure. The days leading up to the trip included much talk of a vacation to Disney World and of Dad bringing back T-shirts from this trip. My 7 year old indicated that he wanted nothing to do with either the vacation or the T-shirt. When asked why he didn’t want to go to Disney World, he replied adamantly: “It’s boring!” Subsequent conversation revealed that, in his view, a proper vacation must be to somewhere that has a subway. He continued to make it very clear that he didn’t want me to bring him a T-shirt, or anything else from Disney World.
I made an evening trip to Disney with some colleagues for dinner and shopping. As soon as I cast my eye on a tye-dyed T-shirt featuring the alien Stitch surfing a big wave, I thought I had a really good shot at bringing back something he liked. The boys named our golden retriever after Stitch and the pattern on the shirt was very appealing. While I didn’t want to force a souvenir on him, I also knew that I was bringing back something for everyone else. If he didn’t want it, it would be no big deal.
We’ll of course he loved the shirt. He insisted on wearing it the next day and was mad when it wasn’t washed when he got out of bed the following day. The real clue to his thinking came when we talked about going to Disney World. Instead of not wanting to go, he said he now wanted to go “about 25%.” That’s his very precise way of saying “part of me wants to go.”
I still don’t understand my son’s thinking that Disney World is boring but I truly appreciate how he let me know that he was starting to be open to the idea of a vacation there. I’ll continue to try to understand his thinking.
And before anyone says “Are you crazy taking two kids on the spectrum to Disney World”, know that I’ve done it with one, although we didn’t know at the time why he was so sensitive to the loud noises. A successful trip will require an IVP, Individual Vacation Plan, with all the appropriate accommodations and supports. And besides, I think I get sensory overload in places like Disney long before the boys do!
My autistic son loved - LOVED - Disney World. He was 12 at the time, and we all had the best time. Souvenirs, autograph books and photos with all the characters, everything.
The interesting part came after the trip was over. We asked him if he had a good time, and he said, “Yes, but we can’t come back again.” Two years later, he still says he doesn’t want to go back. I would love to understand why.
Brett
March 6th, 2006 at 9:39 am
You’ll have to write up a sample IVP for everyone—and then include different versions, for Disneyworld, places with the subway, Goals and Objectives and Special Accommodations.
March 6th, 2006 at 10:13 pm