Progress in Surprising Places

This picture is for your dad, Hannah!

Today we met with the doctor who is overseeing Josh's biomedical care, and we learned that Josh is making some very interesting progress. This doctor works extensively with children on the autism spectrum, and Josh is thriving in the three areas the doctor said are most indicative of how well a child on the spectrum will succeed.

1) Talking: Josh is still not talking on the level of his peers, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have plenty to say. I met with his speech therapist today, and she said that following his recent annual evaluation, she likely will now have to justify Josh's therapy to our insurance company because he scored so well.

2) Wanting to be social with other people: Josh's sometimes mortifying public behavior is really all good! For example, when he runs up to adult strangers at the park and hugs them, that's a good thing, as was him trying out a kick on the owner of the Tae Kwon Do school last week. The doctor said that the more contact a kid tries to make with other people, regardless of how weird it is, the more it shows the kid is not withdrawing into his own world--a trait typical of autism.

3) Lying: The doctor said that people on the autism spectrum tend to be brutally honest, so it's a good sign when a child thinks in different ways. That means when Josh tells Molly not to touch his toys because they are covered with poison ivy, he's making progress. Who knew?

As for the picture, Josh put on his beanie cap with the propellor yesterday and told me he was going to fly to Tae Kwon Do because there was a lot of wind. We ended up taking the car.