It didn't become apparent to me until after the last dish was rinsed on
Thanksgiving Day and the relatives and friends had left that Max disappeared
downstairs during dinner. I looked over the photos several times trying to
find one of Max and there were none. It was as if he was a fox going down into
his foxhole or den to escape from everything and anybody.
I have noticed over the past couple of months that Max has been isolating
himself from others.
His world has become smaller in some ways. My I pad, our computer and
sometimes the Wii have become his obsession. I have other friends who have
shared their concern about their child who has autism and also desires the same
world as Max. They shared with me the frustrations with how difficult it is to
get them away from the technical world, and learning to develop people skills
and interacting.
I have noticed that the internet has overpowered the thought of having a
face to face conversation. We don’t call or send a message even through email
anymore.
It’s all done with a text message or facebook.
Max's speech herapist is trying to get him to say hi to at least two people a week
at school. Each Monday when has therapy she will ask him if he said hi to
anyone. His response is. "I was busy or I was in a hurry when I walked
down the hallway to class."
I have wondered how many other typical children say hi in the hallway or if
they just send a text message through their phone or facebook instead.
Max doesn’t have a cell phone, facebook or email address.
Max is in the first stages of puberty and I have notice changes him in the
past two months. Changes in his height and shoes size which he wears a bigger
shoe than his father and oldest brother. He is more interested in our family
conversations, but less likely to want to be around groups of people. He does
love his orchestra class and enjoys performing at the concerts.
Life is good with Max apart of it. He gives warmth that brings comfort to my soul.
He helps me to stay grounded in seeing what really matters in life. It's that one sweet smile, a tight hug, and words, "I love you."
It's hard to believe this was six months ago when Max graduated from sixth grade.
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