Social Cues

Samuel has exceeded our expectations for him the first two weeks back to school since Christmas break. We were concerned how he would react to getting back to the MWF school routine.  He has adjusted well and seems to understand as he wakes-up when it is a school day.  Recently he has started the day by telling us what he thinks the schedule will be like.  Rather he is saying, "school day", "church day", or "go to granddaddy's", he seems to have a pretty good feel for his routine.  We are exceptionally pleased with his satisfaction of saying "school day" now.  There was a time where when we mentioned this to him, his crying reply would be "bye bye Samuel's school."   Now he no longer just seems complacent with going to school, but actually expresses interest in going.

Friday was a different type of day for him.  He woke-up in a jovial mood, which is not something we have seen much from him before.  April noticed as she took him to school that he was giggling during the entire drive.  Usually he is very stoic while riding, to the point that sometimes we have to check to make sure he is even back there. It seems like for the first three years of his life, he would seldom laugh.  Therefore, we are tickled to see this new found excitement that he has developed.  April took him into school and waited at the spot where the teacher comes to pick him up.  While waiting, Samuel would run over to this pole and start licking it.  Of course this would horrify any mother, especially on a cold morning (everyone remembers A Christmas Story).  As April stopped him from doing this, he would just burst out laughing.  This happened several times before the teacher finally arrived to take him to class.  April informed the teacher that Samuel was in a very silly mood and may want to keep an extra eye on him.  That afternoon I picked him up after school.  The teacher commented, "he did not have a bad day, but did throw sand from the class sandbox." She was appreciative of April giving her a "heads up" about his mood that morning and said they kept a very close eye on him.  Other than the sand throwing episode, it sounds like it was a good day.  Right before we left, Samuel went down the line and told his classmates "bye-bye".  His mood was very pleasant, especially compared to how it was earlier in the year at the end of a school day.

On the drive home, I asked Samuel about the sand throwing episode. His response was hilarious laughter.  I realize in most cases parents would scorn their child for that response. However, seeing Samuel genuinely laugh while reflecting on an experience that we did not share together, is a huge progress in his development.  We are thrilled to see him laugh more, but at the same time we must get through to him that some actions are inappropriate.  He does not seem to understand social cues at all. Trying to get him to realize that some things are inappropriate, even though they seem funny to him is challenging.  This is especially the case due to not being able to carry on a conversation with him.  Any suggestions others might have is certainly welcomed.  We are still excited with the progress that he is making and gladly welcome this most recent challenge.

Thanks to everyone for reading!