Gage is high maintenance, always has been, starting with the colic that seemed to last forever (but in reality only six months until we got him on acid reflux medication).  When he was diagnosed on the spectrum there was almost a lessening of the burden of guilt for me and the fact that I found mothering so, so hard.  I had some answers as to why it was so difficult to engage him or why he didn’t really seem to care what I was doing.  He’s wired a little differently, that’s all.  With all of the differently therapies he’s been doing this past year, there has been a huge improvement.  He’s always liked to play by himself, but now he wants us to play with him, more than just be entertained by us.

The biggest improvement has come because we’ve changed our thought process.  Gage needs to be actively engaged all of the time so we adjust to what we can engage him in.  It’s tiring.  So, imagine my happy dance when Gage found a 500 piece puzzle buried under a pile of odds and ends on our dining room table.  I had started it one ambitious day probably a year and a half ago, but it’s sat untouched since then.  Gage found a few stray pieces and pulled out the chair and said “Mommy’s puzzle”.  He was ready to work!  I cleaned off the table and we’ve spent about 20 minutes every day this week working on mommy’s puzzle.  He likes to look at me and tell me, “I’m a good helper” with a satisfied smile.  He tries the pieces and if I help him pick the right one he can get it in!  For the first time Gage has independently joined me in an activity that I love, not the other way around and it has made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside 🙂  Now, If I could just get him to sit in my lap and listen to me read  Inferno.