People Who Get It

Every now and then you run into people who just Get It. With autism, it's a mighty powerful emotion when that happens. This week I feel fortunate for such encounters:

LA Live Steamers at Griffith Park

James loves trains. To give he and his father something to do on LA visits, I looked up trains and found Travel Town, Los Angeles Live Steamers, and Walt Disney's Barn neatly lined up at the bottom of Griffith Park. It's been great for us all - low cost, free parking, and friendly volunteers abound.

This trip, I asked for tickets for 2 adults and a teen (because I am never sure about non adult fare breakdowns).

   "Bless him for coming with you," the woman told me.

   "Actually," I said, "our son is on the spectrum and loves trains, so ..."

    Her face softened and she said "Oh, we don't charge for those passengers."

It's true. I almost cried.

School Bus Driver

This school year has been largely awful, with some sunny spots. James' current driver is a friendly guy named Mike who loves his job and the kids he drives. He will give out his phone number to parents and takes time to talk with us, making it seem like it's no big deal.

I had to call him today about a minor thing James shared with me. He completely understood. I felt self-conscious about calling him twice in just a couple of weeks (always self-conscious of being a Trouble parent), but he made me feel like we were partners, just figuring out these "life" and "autism" things together. I did cry after we finished our call.

Legal Aid

The lawyer with whom I am currently working is one of those who say they are doing what they do for the kids and I believe him. He is at least as busy as I am and still responds to my emails and takes time to touch base and strategize for our next foray into the fray to get James' educational rights and needs taken care of as he needs them to be done.

Always thoughtful, calm when I am ready to scream with frustration, and very good advice and help so far. I always feel less frantic after our calls.