Today R was relaxed and comfortable. He woke at 1 am and woke me for his peanut butter sandwiches which I had forgotten to prepare.
I went back to bed and R stayed up playing Playstation. He knows to wake me at 6am which he did precisely. R is very punctual in this regard and reads time well. I am also really pleased that He keeps the volume of the TV on number 8 while myself and neighbours are asleep. This is a show of respect and understanding that was not evident when R first arrived. I always make a big point of saying how amazing he is to do that and I believe he likes to be praised in this way.
Friday is pocket money day and we had to put in my debit card details online, which I normally do for him. But today I said R should do it (so I could assess his number confidence etc.) He completed quite a complex task with the card details really well and was praised. I have noticed that he is gaining confidence in these literary and numerical processes and that he is enjoying his success.
Later, after two cooked breakfasts, we made a deal to get a fizzy drink if he strip washed and cleaned his teeth. He quite enjoyed the strip wash which involved a basin of water and a flannel which I took into his room for him to do himself.
I have noticed R is itching his head a lot and I have told him a wash and brush would stop that. So far I have only mooted the idea as the prospect of either is not appealing.
When we were out we had a short walk. I noticed R stims when anxious and he was really gnawing at his nails as we walked. When I slowed right down he stopped gnawing. So in future I will walk really slowly at his pace and I will talk in a less rushed tone. I am normally charging around but I think this may have worried him in the past.
Back home R decided he didn't want to buy the fizzy drink in question as it was bad for him. I think it made him feel sick and as he is a worrier my warnings to that end had made him consider future choices. We had a discussion about him making his own decisions and how important that was for him which may have gone over his head, I couldn't say, but I like to do these conversions just in case.
I have bought R a second hand Nike hoodie as his one from home was covered in white paint. He likes Nike but prefers Adidas. I bought him 7 pairs of new socks as his were too small.
R is aware that a social services meeting occurred this morning. I felt he was anxious during the meeting as he was asking for food. When the meeting was over I asked how he would feel about staying weekends with N's sister but he said it would depend on which one and he was unsure. He said he just wanted to go home. I explained that we will know more next week. I did feel R was anxious once again so tried not to overload or confuse him further.
Finally around 5pm R began to tire. We decided that this week we could make a podcast with my AI robot reading a spooky story that he wrote. He would tell me the plot and I would write it. He wants all the money if it goes viral on YouTube and I agreed.
R fell asleep straight after and I promised there would be two peanut butter sandwiches in baco-foil (not clingfilm) and the bright light turned on (not the blue autism nightlight) on his bedside table. He will wake me at 6am for his cooked breakfast of beans, 3 hash browns, and two eggs.
Today was a great day with lots of milestones.
#autismcaravan