More Good News

What a great summer.  Alex has been at "summer camp" Mondays through Thursdays since June.  I was worried because there is no assistant, but it is the preschool program he attended for a year, and his teacher is still there.  She and the rest of the staff assured me they could handle him, and boy were they right.  He has been coming home and teaching me new games and new songs.  I have learned all about Toilet Tag and Fishy Fishy Cross My Ocean, as well as Flag Flag Firecracker.  He is doing all the things this summer of six that I hoped he would be doing back in his five year old pre-school year.  He is interacting with kids, following complicated verbal directions from teachers, coming up with new and interesting things to say and do, and generally being a kid in a pre-school program.  He does not have bad behaviors because he does not understand and cannot communicate in the typical way.  No more rolling on peers as a way to interact, or pulling hair as a worse way to interact.  No more blank stares when asked what he did that day.  He does not need someone to sit right next to him to keep him on task, or even remaining in the circle.  He does still flap his hands when excited, and talk in a mostly routine way about the things He wants to talk about (storms, tornados, lightening, and red lights), but he is willing to change the subject when led that way.  And he is happy.  Truly happy, smiling, and having fun.  He even teases the teachers a little.  We still need to work on in- depth interaction with peers, but it is good enough for the moment that he is all about the games, and songs, and even art projects.  Plus they hike to about two playgrounds a day and sometimes even get to take the bus to outdoor kid shows.  He has embraced it all.  I know we will continue to have attention problems once it is school work mixed in with the fun, but I don't really care.  We'll get there, and I am a very happy camper.  I felt guilty about having him gone so much, but I knew I could not give him the consistent kid exposure and routine he needed.  Plus we have had marvelous adventures Friday - Sunday, with swimming, kayaking, travel, and just swinging in the yard.  Ahhhhh, sweet summer.