One Less Unsolved Mystery

Hi Everyone!

Here is the blog version of an update show....

Sean's picking of the skin on his arms that was so - might I say - brilliantly solved by myself with the act of giving him three quarters to put in his pockets has come back.

Once it was shorts weather, the tell-tale marks began to appear.  At first, it was a few on his arms and some on his legs.  While his arms aren't nearly as bad as they once were (hundreds and hundreds of marks), his legs are now taking the brunt of his habit.

I'm not sure exactly what to do.  With 12 days left of school I'm reluctant to attempt any kind of intervention.  Could it be stress and they will disappear with the lazy days of summer? 

I do catch him every now and then picking his skin at home.  But, for the most part, I think it's related to school.  Maybe it's not so much due to the rigors of academics but more likely, it gives him something to do during the down time that he has.  He claims he picks alot on the bus.  He has a book to read and a notebook and pencil to capture his thoughts.  Yet, he chooses to pick.

I don't know what to do at this point.  I will keep you informed of how he is doing or if genius strikes again and I come up with a solution.

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The verdict is still out about whether going without the melatonin at night is proving a plus or a minus.  I'm not quite sure when he's falling asleep.  Last night, in particular, I heard him fussing about after 11 pm.  In my world, that's fairly late on a school night.

Giving him some say when it comes to making decisions is definitely something that we prefer to do.  And I certainly don't want to force anything upon him. 

Overall, I think it's going to be OK.  Is he sleeping as much?  No....    Funny thing though, I think he's less grumpy at night.  Maybe the melatonin was making him so sleepy that he was short-fused at bedtime.

With summer just around the corner and the culture of the house being more night-owl than early-riser, it will probably be next fall before we know if going Melatonin-free is for the best.

Until then, I'm keeping them on hand....

*****

Going to junior high has had its own set of growing pains.  Who knew we needed note cards for an oral report?  I was just short of livid when the mid-quarter progress report came home and Sean was getting a 'C' in his newest class.  A couple of emails later and it was determined that Sean had not handed in an assignment.  I'm not sure what he was thinking since it was in his folder the entire time.  After handing it in his grade went from a 'C' to an 'A-'.  Sean's thoughts on the change? 

"I never knew that skipping an assignment would mean so much."

It's all a part of learning - not only for him, but for us as well.

*****

On a final, funny note.... I have learned the mystery behind the 3-year old stick of deodorant.  In the Funky Town post I wondered how one single stick could last so long...  It turns out, he's not using it!!!  At all....  You would think that a college-educated woman would figure that out sooner than I did.  But I assumed after instructing him day after day for a year or more to "deodorize" (short speak for "put your deodorant on") that he would have had the habit ingrained and I would no longer have to remind him.

So I stopped....

And so did he.

Sean walked past me the other day and the air that wafted by was.... unique.  I said something to the effect of...

"Don't you put on deodorant every day?"

And Sean said, "No."

"Why????"

"Because you don't tell me to."

Oh, the ugly head of Autism and it's literalness has reared itself once again... and this time it stinks!

I took him into his room and attempted, between all the squirming and giggling, to demonstrate how to put on the deodorant.

Will he ever get it?  Again, I don't know. 

He finally knows that he has to wear underwear to go out.  Did it really take years for that one simple thing to make it through to him?

Gosh, I know that I keep saying "I don't know" but it's true.  I don't.  I can't remember every detail, recall every event.  And even if I could... and I had the answers yesterday...  Would those answers still work today?

I don't know.

And that's probably more about being human and individuals than being autistic.

Because Life would certainly be boring then.  Don't you think?