I'm such a party animal *snort*

So far, so good (touch wood, fingers crossed and all that).
The medications have found their way down his throat with only a mild reminder each morning without any meltdowns, grunts or glaring looks - such a nice routine rut to get stuck in, don't you think?
He's currently doing textbook work !!!!!
Without complaint!!!!
Explanation - up until a few months ago he'd happily do textbook work as well as online work but he's been unable to focus/concentrate/get into the groove of the textbooks, preferring the online studies.
But today he's trotted off to a quiet room to complete his textbook work.
And...he got up out of bed without anyone calling him.
He also got his brekkie without being reminded.
Only one small quiet reminder to take his medicine and it was gone in a flash!
Someone has either frozen Hell or he's been abducted by aliens.
He's in a happy groove right now, double woot and bust out the party streamers!

When a meltdown is totally cool bananas

When we last saw our action heroes strange not-so-dynamic duo they were disappearing into the sunset for several days while a few GFDF recipes were scheduled for your entertainment.
Oh, how many ways can a laksa soup titillate you, how much stuffing can you achieve with a capsicum and just what  was that 3rd...(checks) oh yeah, Leftover Eggy Ring of Orgasm.
Maybe not.
I'm posting babbly stuff with photos over on the other blog that's in the blogroll over there if you want to waste some time instead of being industrious by ramming bamboo under your fingernails.
Let's catch up with our freaky family....
*Opening scene - Aspie teens bedroom which resembles a tip and has often been the site of unexpected life form discoveries*

MELTDOWN.

Thankfully the trashing of the room didn't really make that much difference to the pile of mess that was existing in this reality.
According to the offspring my perception of reality is vastly different to his, ergo the mess isn't really that bad.
Yeah, ta for that, Spock, baby, and try the broom handle on for size in your great mitt.
Yes, backward and forward motion, preferably to move the debris towards the rubbish bin, not further into the corner of your room where you're going to try to hide it behind another teetering tower of sci-fi books.
Oh, yeah, I got your number, baby, I know how your brain works.
Did I mention I got the sworn atheist, Darwinist, Big Bang theorist into a church on our holiday?
And he didn't
A) turn into Linda Blair from the Exorcist
B) didn't burst into flames
C) Horror of Horrors!!!! Enjoyed meeting the whole congregation of 12.
The meltdown is reaction to holding his gizzards together without losing it all over Central Victoria.
I can get that.
Is cool bananas, baby.

Hiccups and a step backward

Well, I spoke too soon the other night.
Aspie teen had a meltdown yesterday that, while it wasn't a major one, it still was a battle and damn exhausting.
It stopped as quickly as it started with him curled up in a ball, sobbing.
He's very clingy after these episodes asking for squishy (compression) hugs, profusely apologising and telling us how much he loves us.
I made him some pot pies which are fast becoming a favourite and a bit of comfort food for him.
He just generally entangled himself with both his dad and I on the couch and kept some form of physical contact with us throughout the rest of the day and night.
I have no idea if it was the GFDF pancakes I surprised him with at brekkie or the full moon (and eclipse) the other night (no, it's not an old wives' tale) or the nasty cold weather that upset his applecart but, currently, he's a happy and settled poppet doing his schoolwork without any problems.

Doin the Happy Mummy Dance

Aspie teen had a small-ish meltdown this arvo (only mildly jumping on his fathers back and grabbing my wrists with a little swearing) when he stormed off to his room All On His Own.
Without me having to tell him.
And then...are you sitting down?...He Came Back Within 6 mins And Apologised.
Without being prompted.
*is doing the Happy Mummy Dance. There is much wobbling of body parts. You may want to avert your eyes*
This was unheard of a month ago.
This is sooooooooooooo the results of being gluten-free.
I asked him what had made him apologise and he said he didn't really feel as angry as he used to and he felt guilty about his behaviour.
So, the behaviour we're dealing with now is learned behaviour, not the furiously fuelled impulsive anger we had a month ago.
MUCH easier to cope with!
*Warning; Happy Mummy Dance coming up. For several hours*

This Fool isn't on the hill...yet

My eyesight is worsening (I'm legally blind) and I'm the wrong side of 40.
I don't say this for sympathy but to give you a background of how I view the future for my Aspie teen - coloured in panic.
Until his recent breakdown I thought we were trundling along quite well, that he was progressing, improving, interacting in the wide world with all sorts with nary a problem.
Yes, a rhubarb sweetie dish isn't the only fool in this house.
So, now I join Kelley in worrying for the future for my boy; do parents of those on the Spectrum have a special wall on which they perch, each forever gazing into the distance at the fast approaching Future as the grey hair and worry lines grow?
While the NT people scurry past us, flicking us barely a glance as they celebrate everything their NT child does, giving us only a momentary second of attention wondering, perhaps, at us sitting there.
Do we instinctively know where to find this wall, where to sit, in which order...?
Do we exchange pleasantries with those around us, operating on a first name basis as we will all witness each others children mature and enter adulthood where we will all continue to panic and worry and fret and hyperventilate at the thought that we can not negotiate extra years from Her On High just to supervise our ASD kids safely into late middle age....