Curtis spent much of his first two years in school learning the other kids and their reactions to things. The school work has largely been easy. He was reading when others were learning the alphabet and adding coins when other kids were leaning 1-10. He has the states and state capitals down pretty cold. Many times he has helped friends with their reading and math and is largely eager to help those he trusts. An area where he needed a lot of help however was reacting appropriately to different news and events in the lives of his friends. As an example, he once burst out laughing while a classmate expressed dismay to the class about putting the family dog to sleep. In this instance, I suspect it was more likely his reaction to an unsettling situation he was uncomfortable with rather than not knowing how to appropriately react to the news. Curtis learned a lot about reading expressions through the use of PECS (which Laura will blog about soon) as well as by conducting surveys. He was already a big fan of "Sid the Science Kid" and very receptive to the use of surveys. Very good show for kids on the spectrum. The show is educational but also follows a very tight format where certain things happen at the same point in every episode and the same songs are sung. Curtis found this predictability very comforting.

Curtis writes surveys with simple questions and Yes or No responses answers in order to determine if a majority of people in his class feel the same way he does. For example, do they love ice cream and the Cat in the Hat as he does and they hate rainy days like him. It was re-assuring for Curt to know his friends had similar feelings to him and was an important bridge to building relationships.  Curtis also writes out surveys for family incorporating questions he has learned to ask, like how was your day, as well as squeezing in requests, like going for ice cream. Here is an example of a survey Curtis wrote in Word and printed for me a couple of months ago.

Dear Dad
I am having a good day!
How are you doing?

Are you having a good day?

Yes      No

Do you like weekends?

Yes      No

Do you like me?

Yes      No

Do you like hanging out with me?

Yes      No

Do you love me?

Yes      No

Do you play with me?

Yes      No

Do you like rides?

Yes      No

Do you like rules?

Yes      No


Greg, Dad
Curtis