My MicHAeL

C o

S

'

NNIECT

N

FOR THE SUMMER
OF A LIFETIME

"A■ Quiet Place

my friend left, he immediately
hat's that?" asked
stopped his repetitive behavior.
Mikey, pointing to the
"Mikey, why do you do that?" I
outside of the potato-
asked as he looked at the ceiling.
/—' chip bag he had been struggling
"Why you do that?" he repeat-
to open. My husband and I
ed. Echoing what has just been
looked at each other. Mikey was
said is common in delayed
asking about a picture on a bag.
speech development.
He'd never been interested in that
I was so frustrated that I finally
much before. This was progress.
said what I was really thinking,
"That's Scary Spice," my hus-
knowing he wouldn't understand:
band replied, proud to know all
"Don't act autistic. Please. Stop
the names of the Spice Girls.
acting
that way."
"Scary Spice," Mikey repeated.
One of the odd things about
A 4-1 /2 year old boy should be
autism is that it can give
speaking more than that,
children strange gifts and
but because Mikey has
abilities, while robbing
been diagnosed as autis-
them of their fundamental
tic, we were thrilled
communication skills.
when he said anything.
Mikey
might not be able
, But that's only with his
to speak at a normal
family around; if new
level, but can he draw.
people come to the
His special school says
house, Mikey stops trying
he's years ahead of his
to speak.
Elizabeth Thomas classmates in drawing.
One Saturday a friend
AppleTree
He can spend hours
of mine came over and
Staff Writer
making intricate pictures
Mikey spent all afternoon
of
witches flying over
spinning in the corner,
houses. The windows in his house
repeating over and over one line
all
have the correct number of
of dialogue from The Wizard of
panes and latches. He never miss-
Oz: "'III get you, my prerry, and
es
a detail. Even the doors in his
your little dog, too.''
house have keyholes.
Sometimes I try to explain to visi-
His witch has a proper broom,
tors that Mikey can actually say
wart on her nose and wild hair. If
things, but he won't because these
I try to help him draw and give
people are strangers to him and
the witch curly hair, for example,
he doesn't feel comfortable. But I
he protests. Things have to be just
can see they don't entirely-believe
right in Mikey's pictures.
me; they think I'm a victim of wish-
I'm glad that Mikey has his world
ful thinking.
of drawings — it's a quiet place to
Submerging himself into routines,
go where he can call the shots. So
spinning and repeating one sen-
much of battling with autism consists
: fence again and again mace him
of
trying to intervene in the child's
comfortable and able to cope
behavior and rituals and put him on
with the intrusion in his house of
another
course. When Mikey has a
those he does not know. When
pen in his hand, he's tranquil, atten-
Elizabeth Thomas, lives in
tive and absorbed. In those
Hampshire, England, with her hus-
moments, it's as if we'd never heard
band and two children.
of autism.

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Ages
1749

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4/17
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