Managing Autism - A Personal View

Jack’s most favourite food would have to be chocolate cake.  When we made the decision to change his diet the very first thing that we had to find substitute ingredients for was chocolate cake - that, and ice cream (which comes a pretty close second on his list of treats).  Luckily with a bit of effort we were able to find suitable ingredients, and so every now and again we have a ‘bake off’ and spend a day preparing not only chocolate cake and sorbet (our new version of ice cream) but a whole range of lovely treats for the entire family to enjoy.

After a long week of miserable weather and the kids not being able to get outside to play much, we made the decision that today was the day for baking.  And Jack’s choice of treats… of course, chocolate cake and sorbet.  The kids were up early in anticipation, gobbled their breakfast down quickly, and we soon had ourselves set up with everything that we needed for our bake off.

As usual, what starts with enthusiasm often wanes within around an hour of beginning as the kids tire of mixing and measuring - instead just wanting immediate results.  So by mid morning I was surrounded by a pile of dishes, packets now empty of ingredients, a very unrecognisable floor beneath my feet (the kids get a little carried away with stirring - the usual scenario is half in the bowl, half on the floor) and 2 kids chanting “is it ready yet?”.  With the end in sight I soldiered on to completion and by lunchtime we had success.  Sorbet finished and in the freezer, chocolate cakes cooling on the bench, and a sparkling kitchen.

I often smile at the end of a day like today.  In amongst the chaos of the kitchen and with kids covered from head to toe in a mixture of powdery flour and sticky cake mix, I regularly ‘vow’ never to do it again, but when I see the enjoyment on the kids faces as they devour the wonderful treats they have helped create it is all worthwhile.  And it is an activity that Jack loves.  So often I avoid doing things with him that other kids do, simply because it can be too overwhelming for him.  At least baking is something he will get involved in, and that challenges him, but won’t cause a meltdown because of overstimulation.  It’s worth every sticky mouth and hand.

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 6th, 2007 at 6:43 am and is filed under Personal Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.