Getting Through The Autism

Today is Thursday and normally Nathan would go to his NAET treatments, but, the weather was kinda grotty when it was time to start out.
We had already dropped Sarah and Eric off at the daycare and had headed up to the coffee shop.
Every Thursday morning it is the same routine and that is very important to a child with Autism.
One Thursday we were running late and had to bypass the coffee shop to hurry to our appointment and the grim look of disbelief and dismay and the howl of anguish was enough to make me ensure that it didn't happen again.
The ladies at the coffee shop have known Nathan since shortly after we came up to ND.
They have watched him grow and seen his progression and aided in it.
Everytime that Nathan goes in there, he understands that he is to greet them, by name, and place his order.
They in turn, wait patiently for his stumbling speech and return his greeting and get him what he asks for.
They understand that he may not answer their questions right away and that it may take a few seconds for his mind to process what they have said and come up with the appropriate answer.
I am very grateful for that. Not so many people would be so kind.
There are also a couple of regulars who are sometimes in there drinking their coffee and they willingly move their chairs around so he has a place at the table for his milk and cookie and they also greet him by name and make him feel accepted.
As part of his Autistic nature, Nathan checks out the shelves and on the odd occasion has rearranged the different articles to make them more pleasing to his eye.
There are certain things that need to be placed together as far as he is concerned and he is allowed to do this to a certain degree.
I have noticed, that as time goes by and he frequents the place, this has become a lot less noticeable.
He used to have to do this every single time that he went in there and now, it may be once in a blue moon if they have new articles and it is not so much rearranging as just looking at the new things so he seems to be desensitizing himself of this Autistic trait.
Anytime that I would bring a new piece of furniture into the house, no matter where I would put it, he would have to move it around.
So, I got into the habit of bringing it inside, leaving it just inside the door and John and he would put it where Nathan wanted it to go.
This has it's good sides and it's downsides.
A little bit of a routine has made him more confident in his view of his world.
I think that is helping to break through the Autism and that by providing positive social contacts like this it will help draw him towards our world.
Later