It was a fine Father's Day

Not only did Charlie sleep in on Sunday morning till 11am. He went to bed at 9.30pm (with the Barney Good Day Good Night video playing) and was asleep around 10pm.

In between, he assented to doing the 12-mile version of the local bike ride after a couple-day hiatus; 8 miles in Jersey City past Ellis Island, bridal parties posing for pictures, parked cars with revelers in the streets, an elaborate new ice cream parlor, and a possum crossing the street; 4 walks -- the first when he woke, the second inbetween the bike rides, and the third and fourth in the cool evening, one almost after the other (Charlie seems to like to do multiple evening walks in short succession).

It was a very fine Father's Day.

Thank you everyone for suggestions about representing time! One thought I keep turning over in my mind is that 2-d strategies aren't working as well for Charlie (whose reading skills are very minimal, it so far seems). I suspect the calendar just looks like a bunch of black squares packed together with number and letter adornments. I'm working on some sort of schedule with photos and maybe some audio for the seven days he has off between school and Extended School Year.

Charlie was definitely more his old self Sunday after seeming glum, tense and generally irritable for the past ten plus days. Yes, no trips planned for me (or Jim) for quite awhile or at least until I figure out how to craft a better schedule / calendar / time keeper.

Comments

[Linda]

Time: your first instinct of set of clothing in bags may be the best; 5 individually bagged outfits M-F, 1 each for Sat/Sun. 7 bags to start, Sunday is last bag. Pics could be added in bags once routine is established; school bus M-Fri, pic of town carnival ferris wheel etc.when it comes to town; ex if it begins on a Wed Charlie could see time progress via bags of outfits remaining before carnival pic.
Concrete. Simple. Calendars are abstract, confusing.
Glad the boy slept!

[autismvox]

@Linda, I think you're giving me an idea....

[Melanie Harper]

@Linda, that's a great idea, and doesn't require reading.