Thursday 17 March 2016

Shoes... in the laundry?


David is five years old and attends a specialist autism education unit.  Being five and having ASD means school activities are still based around play and developing the senses.  The other day, I was met by David being carried by his key worker at the gate of the school.

David had a bit too much fun with the water play and was dressed in his spare shorts and socks. His shoes were completely drenched and that's why he was shoeless and being carried.  As I had to take his older brother to a music therapy session I thought that we'd have no choice but to go home and get another pair of shoes for David. 

As we all headed back to our house in a bit of a rush I wondered where I'd find David's shoes? I hadn't seen them for a few days and they are usually on the shelves in his room. Maybe they've got kicked under the bed?  Maybe they've ended up under the bench by the front door?  After a short search back at the house, neither of these locations produced his shoes.  Then, I smiled and jogged around to the utility room.

I opened up the laundry chute, clothes started falling everywhere, and then I spotted them.

There they were, nestled on top of each other between a shirt and a pair of pyjamas.

Oh dear... you might think, but not to me.

You see, it's only just recently that David has been able to undress himself.  And it's even more recent that he has, all by himself, added on an extra step and put his clothes into the laundry chute when he's getting ready for bed.  For David and for us this is a huge achievement.  David is not only following instructions, which he used to find impossible, but he has then... all by himself...taken the initiative to add on a step to his routine and put his clothes down the laundry chute.  The small complication in this is that David hasn't managed as yet to separate his shoes before they go down.  But that didn't matter to us one bit the first time it happened. We spent ages on Monday looking for the shoes that went down the chute on Sunday night. Then grinned when we found them.

We had this thrill of achievement in David, him taking the initiative surpassed all the frustration we had trying to locate his shoes the first time they inadvertently disappeared into the laundry.

Obviously, now we are now trying to help him put his shoes where they go when he takes them off.  But I still smile at the first achievement when I have to go and locate them amongst the dirty clothes. 

I popped David's wet shoes onto the dryer and headed out the door, spare shoes in my hand and a smile on my face.

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10 comments:

  1. I love this, it's just sheer joy for you both. I remember the day all the puzzles were tipped out of their box and the pride I felt that it meant she could finally see thanks to her new glasses and she wanted to do puzzles!! I would love to have this linked up at #TreasuredMoments if you'd like to at MS Calling.

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  2. Awww lovely post. And thanks for the mention. It is a truly beautiful moment when something so seemingly small can buoy our spirits - because we know it stands for so much more - little warm spot in your chest to cherish all to yourself. Sounds like he had a lot of fun with the water too :)

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    1. It is like a secret joy, that only you really get, but that you are desperate to share. Your welcome! Oh, and I nominated you for best newbie blogger somewhere. Britmums or MADs maybe?

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  3. Awww lovely post. And thanks for the mention. It is a truly beautiful moment when something so seemingly small can buoy our spirits - because we know it stands for so much more - little warm spot in your chest to cherish all to yourself. Sounds like he had a lot of fun with the water too :)

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  4. Lovely post, I am smiling here now, too. It's so special when our kids reach milestones. Glad he enjoyed his water play too! Thanks for sharing with #WotW

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  5. What a lovely post. I love that he has added this into his routine. Ethan's shoes come off in the car, when he is done with our trip out off they come x

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  6. Thank you again for all the knowledge u distribute,Good post. I was very interested in the article, it's quite inspiring I should admit. I like visiting you site since I always come across interesting articles like this one.Great Job, I greatly appreciate that.Do Keep sharing! Regards,
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  7. How amazing is that, this post brought tears to my eyes hun, thanks for linking up too x

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    1. I hope it's happy tears! I call these moments our #madeupmilestones. The achievements that aren't listed in the 'red book' or anywhere else but are personal triumphs for our kids. I tend mostly to grin for hours afterwards, I think I've learned to save tears for the times of heartache. Thanks so much for commenting. Please can me ha k to read more of our happy moments soon.

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  8. I hope it's happy tears! I call these moments our #madeupmilestones. The achievements that aren't listed in the 'red book' or anywhere else but are personal triumphs for our kids. I tend mostly to grin for hours afterwards, I think I've learned to save tears for the times of heartache. Thanks so much for commenting. Please can me ha k to read more of our happy moments soon.

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