Pool Master

We've been at our gym's pool a lot lately. Finally, my dream summer come true! It's been hot and the kiddos are finally competent and happy in the water. They can splash and cavort, working those growing bodies and yelling while I relax poolside, sipping iced tea (well, for about half an hour I can).

Then I can take my time working my way into the pool, stretching, hanging in the outdoor jacuzzi, and finally joining them for some water play and aerobic activity. I try to keep an eye on them both, because they can suddenly be in tears, and then it's MomAlert.

My daughter usually overextends herself into a meltdown. James may inadvertently swallow a huge mouthful of water or be buzzed by a bee. As the pool gets crowded, Other Kids can result in tears. I get that rowdy play can suddenly get out of hand without it becoming personal. There are, however, a couple of peaches who have taunted others into unsafe behaviour and laugh at the results (oh, not for long on my watch). I soothe and intervene when necessary.
  

So when I noticed a littler kid following James in the shallow end of the pool, laughing and repeating everything James said, I headed over to make sure this was okay. Even though it hasn't happened in front of me, I worry about James being teased for being different -- his echolalia would be easy to mock.

Know what James was saying to him? "I am your master." And the little boy thought it was hysterically funny and could not get enough. James wasn't quite sure what to do next, but he didn't want to quit, either. Wow. James was scripting Plankton from SpongeBob.

Intervene or not? Well, they were both having a good time and it was fairly appropriate social interaction, so I let it go on until faded on its own. This is James' biggest strength: his overall good humour and belief that the world wants to play with him. I hope he never loses it.

Theme Music

I forgot to note that James has added a new dimension to his scripting (also known as echolalia - scroll down the linked page to see a most excellent definition).

He now recites dialog for two people from movies and stories, because he is finally getting into play dates and socializing with his peers. He also likes to script movies when real life provides parrallels. Or just because.

This morning, for example, he had a phone conversation with his aide on an imaginary phone during our drive to his school. He did both parts of the conversation and I think this was part of his preparing himself for school. He scripts from Barney because I am sure he would dearly love to be part of that group in the mornings on weekends (shudder).  He might also be looking for a buddy, because he is scripting large exchanges between Buzz and Woody from the Toy Story sagas.

Max decoration that's going in his room.

He went through a couple of days of being mad (highly unusual for James) and recited huge portions of Where the Wild Things Are to me. Most notably "I'll eat you up!" And you know, it actually opened a bit of a dialog for us, so I could let him know I understood he was angry ... could he tell me more about why? Usually it had to do with me telling him "no" or enforcing bedtime. I could be wrong in my assessment of why he was scripting from that book, but I don't think so. It fits James' personality of being sweet, funny, and stubborn. I found this scripting endearing, as well as preferable to a sulky tantrum or swearing and throwing things.

Most recent and delightful to me: James has been humming the theme music to The Incredibles. Just before he takes off at a run. When he wears his beloved bear blanket. And the one that almost brought me to my knees with laughter: in the bathroom. That's right, taking a bath, toweling off after, successfully completing a toileting run, washing his hands ... duh-duh-DUH-da-dahhhhhh!

James, you are Mr. Incredible!