Pookie has a unique view of life, I think we all know that.  Sometimes when you can get him to talk about what he sees and experiences, its fascinating.  For instance, one of my favorite things is to hear him use words or phrases to describe things he can’t find the word for.  He has an incredible vocabulary, but sometimes new things confuse him.  He also has an uncanny way of breaking things down and showing you there are alot of ways to use the English language.

• When shown a Koala bear for the first time, he did not know what it was.  So he declared it to be a “gray polar bear.”
• When given just a half glass of milk, he complains, saying he wants the milk to “go way up”.
• When called a party pooper, he rebuts saying “no, poop at a party.  Poop goes in the potty.”
• When offered bread for breakfast, he says “no, use the bread cooker” to order it toasted.

Autism is partly a communication disorder.   He struggles with how to communicate his thoughts.  We struggle to understand what he means.   But sometimes, its helpful to take a step back and think of him as someone learning the English language for the first time.  It makes it easier to chuckle at his faux-pas and give him the benefit of the doubt. I often remind myself of this little trick.  It makes his quirks even more endearing and gives me more patience.  Sometimes I picture him in a beret with a pencil thin moustache saying “ahhh….how you say….zee bread coo-ker?”

It makes me smile.