When Autism Punched Me in the Face, quite literally

Gymnastics didn't go so well last week.  I knew B-man was out of sorts all day.  I tried to protect him from himself but he wasn't having it.

He loves to be around friends.  The trouble is that he's not always able to handle the interaction.  He gets overloaded.  I wanted him to stay home that day and rest.  He wasn't having it.

He and his friend had a confrontation and he came home upset.  He laid down.  Finally! When it was time to get ready for gymnastics I went to check on him, thinking he'd be asleep.  No such luck.  And he wanted to go to gymnastics.  I agreed.

He actually did pretty well for most of the time.  I think he was 45 minutes in when he lost it.  He stormed over to the parent's area, crying.  He crawled into my lap.  I tried to comfort him, soothe him.  He was too upset.  When he gets that way, my words are not helpful.  I try not to talk, I just hold him tight and rock him.  He wasn't having it.

He cried.  He screamed.  He punched me in the face.  I worked to restrain him, pull him tight.  Give him some deep pressure sensory input.

He jumped out of my lap.  He screamed "I'm leaving!" He stormed off. He knocked down a chair.  I caught up with him.  I made him pick up the overturned chair.  We went outside.  This particular meltdown lasted about 15 or 20 minutes.  It felt like 3 hours to me.  I can't imagine how long it felt to B-man.

Despite days like this, I still believe that AUTISM IS NOT A TRAGEDY.

How could it be?  Have you seen my little man?  He's so au-some.  I love his mind.  I love him.

I'll take the rough days because it gives me days like theses...

B: Momma, I like verbal irony
Me: Oh, yeah, what is verbal irony?
B: it's when you say the opposite of what you mean. Like when you say it's a beautiful day but it's dark and gloomy outside.

Or when he tells me Calvin Coolidge had a pet hippopotamus and Herbert Hoover had a pet alligator. I have not fact checked those but I believe it.

When he asks the nurse practitioner: So, what bacteria has caused my ear infection?
NP: ummm...usually staph or strep
B: I'm glad to hear it's not MRSA.  Because you know MRSA and antibiotics (makes URGH face)
Me: Are you trying to say that MRSA doesn't respond to antibiotics?
B: sadly, yes.