Be careful of nicknaming your child after an animal :P

I have been keeping very busy. To be honest, I have been struggling so much, my kids are just not inclined to sit down and work on activity books. I have so many of them, I was hoping that we'd use them up! They are inclined however for the following activities: watching television, playing outside, playing on their ipads, toys, music, and family activities. Something they have been excelling at since being home and out of school for so long is oddly enough, life skills. Albeit, I have been accommodating to them as I get used to this homeschooling idea, and planning their educations. I have also been trying to pay more sensitivity to the natural illnesses that occur in them. Instead of regarding their issues as 'behaviours' I have been reshaping my thinking to perceive their behaviours as simply... undeveloped communication. It is the most basic form of communication out there, animals use it. We are born with some of those instincts, and in some people it develops into something rather sophisticated, and others they move onto verbal language. In my home I see both scenarios.

My little 'A' seems to think of himself as a monkey. He is such a remarkable little character. When he is sick, and feverish, he will strip off his clothes, jump around and run crazily around the house like some kind of monkey. He throws food, makes monkey sounds, the works.. Once I started to see this, I find it really strange how this occurs. When he is getting too warm, he starts communicating like Alex the lion from Madagascar.

So after hearing many suggestions from parents on myautismteam , I started designating time for playing animals, but this was not enough, so during normal play time I intensely reinforce 'boy' behaviours. Calm, gestural, and verbal communication, interacting with play and toys. His discomfort around being unable to communicate has dissipated a great deal. We even have a few new words, hurray!!