Asperger's From A – Z

My son Tanner will be nine in August.  He should be done writing  his 5th book.  He is creating his first movie and the entire family hears developing details daily.  I am actually getting to “know” his characters a bit.  His characters, created in his mind and quite Sci-Fi, have varied personalities and abilities and most are highly evolved.  You could call genius part the  “A” part of Asperger’s Syndrome.

His hearing is near perfect.  We know this because of hearing tests given to him after skin graft surgeries in both ears.  Many times, days, weeks… one would never know that he can hear – at all!  This I would refer to as the other end, or  “Z” part of Asperger’s Syndrome.  Is it because he is a boy that he has such selective hearing?  Maybe.  Is it due to his age?  Probably a contributing factor.   Are there ways of communicating in such a way that he hears (and responds)?  Sometimes.

To overcome the selective hearing “issue” I have been known to  add in the word ‘hyena’ or ‘wharthog’ or even one of the characters from his upcoming movie.  This generally grabs his attention.   Raising my voice works like a trap door where  I’m almost always left on the outside.   When I connect with him in ways that stimulate his creativity I usually get invited into his world of imagination… and that’s pretty cool.  Try it today – you never know where you might go.