The very best gift you can give any autistic person, especially a child, is an experience.
It is especially important to take kids with autism out into the real world to see and interact with real things...
[T]hey can be especially challenging for us. We can be especially challenging during them.
But we need to go...
These experiences, the ones that give us the world and help us find our place in it, are the gifts we need most.
Please give them to us.This rings very true for me. I don’t need a lot of stuff. I am saving for a tablet, but what matters most to me at this point is experiences.
Recently I had a memorable travel experience, which I was all but forced to go on. I attended a house party this summer, because my friend invited me. I've had to drag myself into many adventures, some that I was glad to have, and others that were not so successful.
The best gift I could get for myself this holiday would be an experience. What are your suggestions for adventures I can give myself?
Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!
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Have you done any geocaching or letterboxing? If you like to hike or walk, that might be fun. I've letterboxed a couple times with my kids and it was fun.
ReplyDeleteWe did a behind the scenes tour at the zoo. My aspie was fascinated at the info offered. Was a small group & out of hours so not heaps of people around. Only downside was big cost but for a special Christmas gift it is worth it.
ReplyDeleteA LONG day-hike into the mountains or load up the backpack for a couple days of hiking and discover a new fishing hole.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Matt!
ReplyDeleteIf it were me, I'd get a night at a bed & breakfast just for myself, even if it was a place not far from home. I tend to be nervous about going to unfamiliar places, so treating myself to an adventure that is still in somewhat familiar territory is exciting and yet not so stressful...
- Hanne
>>> very best gift you can give any autistic person, especially a child, is an experience. <<<
ReplyDeleteGood to know...we travelled by train cross country, visited aging grandma's and met my son's birthmother and family. But somehow, there was no stress. It was unlike any christmas I've ever known. My son had planned on it since he was 5 years old.
We are so blessed by this kiddo.
And, well, uhm...train trips are nice. Totally unlike any previous travel experience. It is one way to see America, the good, the bad, and the ugly.(We went through industrial areas, blighted areas with boarded windows, pastoral scenes; I still see traces when I think of it.)
It was kind of expensive...but restful.
I like Hanne's suggestion, and especially like Stimey's suggestion. Since you're still unsure about traveling, start small, take a vacation on the other side of town for the weekend and see things that are the same, but from a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteOr, be bold, brave, and take the jump out west! :-)
Honestly, I have no answers for you as I do not know you outside of this blog. I would love a passenger train ride cross country. Exploring new places on stops, getting to take a trip with b/f. But obviously that's me and not you!
ReplyDeleteTook a train trip to Chicago last year. I would highly recommend it. I loved the train but it forces you into a lot of interactions that were challenging but rewarding. Got to see an area of the US that I had never seen before.
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