Change of plans

We have a child with mild Asperger's.  "Mild" is a relative term of course.  Reese may not have as many issues as a child with more severe Asperger's but it is still a serious everyday challenge.  It has definitely changed how we do things, how we plan and who we spend time with.  We are having to learn to expect different reactions to things than what a "normal" kid might experience. 

A couple of weeks ago, we took Reese to the circus.  I've never been before so I was really excited to be sharing the experience with Reese.  A "normal" kid wouldn't want to miss a single second.  Reese, however, was done after the first half.  The high ceilings, the crowd, the noise, he just can't take it. I was able to convince him to stay until after the tigers and elephants but then we had to leave. 

Saturday, we had plans to go to the beach.  Reese got more agitated the closer it came to leaving time.  He finally said "Momma, I'm scared of all the crowds."  I had already been worried about driving an hour and a half just to have him say after 30 minutes that he wanted to go home.  We made a compromise and went to the beach club in cinco ranch.  That way we could come home at any time.  That is the life of an Asperger's child.

For almost 7 years, we had "swim Friday" during the summer.  Anyone and everyone was welcome to come at 10am on Friday to swim at our house.  I started to notice that Reese wanted to go in after about 20 minutes of swimming with everyone or even sooner if more families showed up.  The last year or so, he wouldn't even come out to swim at all.  Until we figured out he has Asperger's, that made absolutely no sense to me.  Recently, he's been able to articulate more of what he's thinking.  He finally was able to tell me that he liked swimming with one family but not more. 

It's definitely an adjustment, a rethinking of everyday events.  But man, I wouldn't trade him for anything!