Adam went fishing and my lunch date cancelled (get better Jen!) so I decided to spend the day with the kids. They each got an arch card and some money for Christmas so I decided to take them to McDonald's and a movie. It's been a really long time since I've taken the kids to McDonald's. Taking Ian to playlands is a disaster waiting to happen. He gets over-stimulated very easy and I hate the stares I get when he does. I thought that I would go at breakfast and avoid the crowds. I also thought we'd go to the Lehi McDonald's since it was closer to the movie theater. Big mistake. That has to be the absolute slowest and most unorganized McDonald's I have ever been to! I waited 20 minutes for my food. I would have waited longer but I finally complained. While waiting for the food I left the kids to play in the playland. We got there about 9:30 and it was relatively empty. About ten minutes into my wait I hear Ian wailing in the play room. He had climbed up the tube onto a platform surrounded by nets and he wanted "out of Jail". He was upset and crying and wasn't coming down on his own so I sent Matthais up. After much crying and after Matthais had to physically get him down he was finally rescued. Unfortunately it was too late to escape the stares. One little boy told me "I told him he just needed to come down!" I responded "I know, but he doesn't understand, he has autism" even though I knew the little boy probably had no idea what that meant. I made sure I said it loud enough that his parents heard and maybe they could explain. We finally got our food, quickly ate and left. I should have known to just head home but no...I decide to go to a movie. The incident at the playland left him in sensory overload and he wasn't going to sit through a movie. Once the previews started he immediately covered his ears and started crying. I pulled him into my lap which eventually calmed him down but it was really uncomfortable for me and left the terrible two-year old to escape. Oh boy. I put Ian into his own chair and chased after Owen who has stopped and started to strip. He had spilled his drink on him and didn't want to be wet. Sigh. This is why I can't go anywhere alone... And why I'm certifiably insane.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
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5 people not afraid to say something:
You are so brave to attempt that. I still haven't taken my girls to a movie by myself and neither of them have autism. And I know the exact McDonald's you are talking about. I won't be going there again. My 4 year old got stuck in that same area and wouldn't get down either. We should do it together next time, maybe we would make it through!
Sorry you had that happen!
I totally know how hard it is to handle someone with autism and lots of stimming.
There is a girl at work who we recently got a communication device with two buttons on it, and it can say whatever you want.
Its helpful to finally give her a voice since she is non-verbal...
But she gets very easily overstimulated with it.
I don't think I would ever be brave enough to go to McDonalds with it.
Plus you had the other kids.
Next time you plan something like that, let someone help out :)
You can even call me up!
Hooray, Angi, you did it... and it's done!
I can't even imagine how emotionally trying autism is without all of the staring.
Neil and I had a major melt down with two of our kids in a theater a couple of years ago and so I took half the family home. After that we told the kids no more theaters as a family. We take them to the movies as one-on-ones, but it's too expensive to create stress over.
I love to read your adventures as a mom! It makes me feel a lot better that I'm not the only one struggling some days.
Oh see, it's all my fault! Sorry about the movie. You need one with a cry room that you can just start out in and he could roam around the whole movie.
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