My Parents are Visiting

My parents are here to visit this week. They live several hours away, so a visit is quite a treat. I had told Michael Tuesday morning that they would be coming to visit after school that day. His first response was "I want them to visit BEFORE school, not after." But, he eventually settled on the idea that he would have to wait a few more hours.

When they finally arrived, Michael was so happy to see them. He ran to the door as soon as he heard the doorbell, and spent most of the evening jumping up and down in excitement. Michael normally does not like to perform, but he went through every word and phrase he'd been learning in Spanish, just to impress his grandparents. They were so thrilled.

On Wednesdays, Steve picks Michael up from school a little early and takes him to OT. I warned Michael yesterday morning that Grandpop would be going to OT with them. I didn't mention anything about him coming in to the school to sign him out. When he got close enough to the office that he could see who was there, he proudly told his teacher "That's my Grandpop!!". She was floored since Michael seldom shows excitement, much less tells her anything he cares about!

Every time I hear about how kids with autism aren't affectionate and don't form attachments, I think of Michael with my parents and Steve's mom. It's so wonderful to see him so engaged and happy. On one hand, I hate that my parents can only visit every so often, but on the other, it's awesome for them to see how much he grows in between visits!