De Railed Part 2

If you remember yesterday I was blathering about trains and being nice to a person. If you don’t remember look here.

I don’t really remember what I said. As a rule I try not to remember what I say, my mind needs to be free of the trivial and the absurd. That’s why I can’t remember what I have written. You know, like, I remember the facts and stuff that I know, but I can’t remember how much I have shared with anyone. I have a tendency to tell one person the same thing multiple times and not tell others at all. But that’s okay because everyone in our house has bad memories so I just convince them that they forgot. They are unreasonably stubborn and don’t always believe me, which is completely unfair.

And back to the point. I refuse to reread the stuff I wrote yesterday. I was there when I wrote it and then I had to read it again to edit it. I’m bored.

Wait that wasn’t the point. I had one!

Ah, Autistic people are like trains and how I was derailed by an act of thoughtfulness.

Okay!

So I have a friend. Shut up, it is so possible. He’s autistic and not that discerning.

So he has moved away. Not to avoid me, look stop making cracks so I can get on with this, I have had barely any naps today and I am overdue.

And lost his parent. So he is alone. He has just moved to the NDIS system and his funding has been decimated. And possibly not just because the NDIS is evil. He presents well, and has probably given the impression that he copes better than he does.

I’ve noticed a major problem with the way people question us.

NTS please note the following is a fiction used as a demonstration.

Planner “Can you fly?”

Autistic Person thinks they can remember flying once: “Possibly!”

Planner “You either can or you can’t!”

Autistic person looks confused.

Planner “Is there any reason why you couldn’t fly?”

Autistic Person, “Not that I can think of.”

Planner “So the answer is ‘Yes you can fly?”

Autistic person, “Yes I can fly?”

Planner “So you won’t need any assistance with transport?”

Autistic person, “No you’re right. I promise from now on I’ll fly everywhere and I won’t need help using public transport.”

Planner “Good girl here’s a bikkie (or cookie) and there’s an open window.”

So its possible my friend did not have the experience to add “I don’t know why I can’t fly but I’ve tried many times and I can’t, maybe I just need someone to teach me, but, realistically I don’t think flying by myself is likely in the next year.”

So they may have underestimated his needs. So considering he has been moved miles away from civilization and he is alone I was concerned and checked around.

We’ve come to that time. Well I would be able to talk for longer if I didn’t have children.

 

“We are not children, I am 16,” I can hear my youngest saying.

Yes but if they are not children why are they always asking me for hugs and to sit next to me on the sofa.

And, “Can I have a drink?”

“No!”

“What kind of drink?”

They are over 18 they can have a vodka tonic or martini for all I care. Except the youngest, the only one who would actually want to. “Have you had a soft drink today?”

“No, can we have a soft drink?”

“If you stop bothering me, yes.”

“What will Dad say?”

“You want to take that risk?”

“No!” hee hee hee and the loudest, most incompetent theft of cans of soft drink from the fridge follows.

Why won’t they leave me alone?

Maybe they need to be sidetracked.

So I’m finishing this tomorrow. Part 3.