As most children with special needs, having a schedule and/or routine is quite important. Darus is no exception to this rule and he likes to know what to expect. The evening pattern since the time change has been pretty solid. Dinner, playtime/walk, cartoon, bath/shower or Jacuzzi, then time for bed. The pattern changed tonight. The cartoon was omitted from the sequence. And even though Darus didn't lose it, he let us know that he knew! After a nice long lavender infused shower, I helped him to his room where we typically get him ready for bed. As soon as we got to his room, he started crying. Once Jonas and I calmed him down, we asked him what was wrong. He said, in a language that only Jonas and I could understand, "I want cartoon!" Jonas told him that if he was a good boy and helped his mommy get him ready for bed, he could watch a cartoon in bed with Daddy. It worked! Darus cooperated and helped with his diaper/pajamas. Once he was fully dressed he grabbed a blankie and went straight into our bedroom to watch a cartoon with Dad. It was really sweet.

Communication
He talked. We listened.
We heard his words and we honored them.
#communication #phelanmcdermidsyndrome #autism