Mom’s Got You
A friend of mine had somewhere she needed to be after school. I offered to have her kids come over until she was ready to come get them. Her son was older than Mikey, but they knew each other from the special ed room. Her daughter was in Will’s grade and they got along well.
M was much higher functioning than Mikey, but he was very kind to Mikey and they had fun together. Both kids had been to our house many times for family parties. They were comfortable here.
They wanted to play Xbox. Will was thrilled. Mikey didn’t know how to play video games yet and he still can only play simple ones like MarioKart. He didn’t seem too sad or disappointed, and he wanted to stay downstairs in the playroom with the other kids.
So, while Will and our guests played video games, I sat with Mikey and did some activities that were appropriate for him. Everyone was happy and Mikey had enough fun that he chose to write about it in his journal.
Share This Post
About the Author
Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 
Let's Connect
Subscribe to our newsletter for more updates