(no subject)
At the autism school, Halloween was pretty excellent. I wasn't sure if teachers or behavior analysts there dress up, so I settled for sporting some rather vivid orange corduroys and a heather grey sweater. The kids were in all mannars fabulous. We had a king, a ketchup bottle, a cowboy, two convicts, a witch and a faery. Those are the first that come to mind, anyway. The day was pretty relaxed despite the intense sugar infusion, and at 1:30 the younger kids went trick or treating and the adolescents had a dance. I think when most people envision a day of fun for autistic kids, it doesn't include loud music, crazy lighting, and the physical contact that can come with dancing. I thought some of my kids with more serious sensory issues might have a complete meltdown. Granted, the festivities were a bit much for a couple of kids, but the rest had a BLAST and there were absolutely no injuries, major meltdowns, or acts of agression. I held his hands with the king and we jumped as high as we could and then he twirled in circles over and over, never once getting dizzy. A short, stocky student with ginger peach fuzz all over his arms and shoulders almost choked with glee when I twirled him like a ballerina on point. I rocked back and forth in time with one of my favorite non-verbal students, and after leaving my hands out between us for half a song, he finally grabbed them and we rocked together. In fact, the roughest part of the dance for me was when two of the female students, both with awesome and ecstatic dance moves, got in a scuffle over who could hold my hands while we danced. It was hardly the tableau of autistic children one might imagine- children who lack any social understanding, who can't approach others spontaneously, who have no ability to imitate and respond to emotions or communicate nonverbally. All I could see around me was energy and joy and some kids so happy their feet barely touched the ground. It took days for the smile to fade from my face.