Let's jump back in to the obsessions post of a few days ago. It would just so happen that we took a field trip to our local botanical gardens that day. Remember all those books Logan reads at all hours of the day and night? Those books give him lots and lots of facts about all sorts of different things. He could also easily be a docent in a musuem or work in a botanical gardens giving tours as well as working with the plants. This particular gardens has koi fish as well . Fish and plants would be Logan's dream job.
The first part of the tour was all about the gardens and what plants were and did and how to take care of them. They got to taste stevia leaves, learn about berries that make you vomit and look at the koi fish. Logan was extremely attentive staying with the group the entire time asking questions as we went along.
The second part of the tour was Mr. Stacy. He walked us around Lake Mirror talking about the history of Lakeland. All facts but presented so well. Logan could do this job as well. He could certainly spout the facts ( remember Cliff from Cheers? That's Logan). He would have to work on presentation. Drama is not his thing. Part of what made this tour so interesting was the character put into it by Mr. Stacy. Logan could do it but it would be harder for him than say the botanical gardens job.
I hope these examples help you to see that obsessions can be used to your child's advantage. Now when Logan was knee deep in dinosaurs, I couldn't see it. All I wanted him to do was find something else to talk about or play with . Be patient. Keep cultivating your child's ever expanding interests. The dividends will pay off in the end.
This is day 26 in my 31 Days to Homeschooling with Autism series. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to enter the Day 25 giveaway of free breakfast and a $25 Wal-mart card! Someone has to win, right?
What a wonderful perspective! :) A great idea for a field trip to tap into his natural interests and passions as well - good job, mama!
ReplyDeleteDo you follow the show 'Parenthood' at all?
One of the characters is a young boy with Aspergers and during one season of the show it reflected quite a bit on his obsession with bugs. The parents of the boy decided to hire a bug 'expert' to come do a presentation at his upcoming birthday party, and were surprised to learn that the presenter also had Aspergers. Then, they too were able to see that their son could have a future job in a field he loves even with his limitations. What an encouragement, huh? :)