Christmas Break

 ~ Clearly Muddled Blog ~

Family, food, friends, food, Santa Claus, food, festivities, food, food, food…Josh REALLY likes one of these, and can only take the others in spurts. He’s learned to be social and enjoys it on his terms. Making sure he took a “Christmas Break” when he needed it made it a happy holiday for him. That, and the food.

Sometimes autism can’t be seen, but that doesn’t mean it’s not being felt. Josh does so well in social situations at this point that he removes himself from the crowd when he starts feeling anxious or overwhelmed. That allows time for him to de-escalate, which ultimately relieves the stress and pain he feels throughout his body. The responsibility of recognizing when he needed a break used to be mine…he’s come a long way, baby!

The holidays are fun. They are also stressful. I should learn to put myself in time out the way Josh does – he’s a phenomenal teacher. I’m not going to go to my room though, the way he does…but the beach sounds nice. The beach and a glass of wine. The beach and a bottle of wine.

Here’s to a Happy New Year, filled with family, friends, and breaks when you need ‘em!

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Listen to the Podcast: Josh Has Autism #056: Time Out | http://sonyaking.com/josh-has-autism-056-time-out