(HBOT 104) Finds Ways to Express Himself

This morning I brushed Jonathan's legs and arms hoping he would have a good day. I think it helped him wake-up. He took his supplements and seemed alert. He asked for ice cream. That was very odd. So we gave him ice cream at 7:30am. He went to school early to spend a good hour in the before-school program. I think that being around other kids before the class is a good stimulation. Today's note from the teacher indicated that he needed no additional prompting during the day. The entire week seems to be very good (for a change).

HBOT was uneventful. He played with another kid for a while, but their game got stuck. So they stopped playing and watched a movie.

When we finished, Jonathan told me that he wanted me to put the GPS on my windshield. I didn't quite understand why, but I did. When we left, he was verbally pointing out where he wanted me to go. It turns out that since Tuesday, he had been trying to tell me that going opposite ways from what the GPS was suggesting. I was supposed to turn right just a few yards away from the HBOT place, but instead I would make a u-turn. So by putting the GPS in front of me and verbally pointing out what I was doing wrong the past days, he was able to tell me exactly what he wanted. I loved the fact that the past 2 days he didn't have a meltdown because I didn't do what the GPS wanted me to do. I year ago he would have screamed at me all the way. And instead, he figured out that the best way for me to understand was to visually see it. Very clever. All this to tell me how to go to McDonald's. Once we left McDonald's and I got to the highway, he knew that I knew the route and told me "okay mommy, I don't want you to see the GPS anymore. You know the route now. Give me the GPS please". It is such an obsession, yet he knows how to use it appropriately. When he is done, he turns it into a "toy" and plays with the demos and other features. But the point is that he knew how to handle his disability and found a way to convey what he wanted without meltdowns. That is very positive.

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