The Wave by: Kimberly Larochelle

I sat stunned while I waited at the traffic light, as I gazed at my little boy, Levi riding in the car in front of mine with his daddy. The car in back of me tapped on their horn to break my paralyzed state.  “He just waved at me…HE JUST WAVED AT ME!” my voice broke to no one but myself as I drove alone.  I was speaking of my son, who had just waved at me with a grin from ear to ear, for the 1^st time in his life!  He is 10 years old, and I just got my very 1^st wave from him…Amazing!

It was amazing because it was a REAL WAVE, not something that he HAD to do or had been trained to do…No…he “emotionally felt” this wonderfully simple and yet powerfully complex gesture.

Of course, what makes this situation so noteworthy is the fact that my son was diagnosed with Aspergers.  What is a wave to someone with Aspergers? Certainly, my son never understood the meaning emotionally.  And now…NOW he DID!!!

His eyes were alive and danced with understanding and emotional awareness.  This made my heart leap, and every fiber of my being exploded in a crescendo of happiness.  I thought to myself and even spoke aloud, “He’s going to be ALL RIGHT…”, and my eyes filled with joy unsurpassed.

Since that “Wave”, there have been many more small and yet huge gestures of emotional awareness and fellow feeling shown and my heart applauds each one.  We have seen “blowing kisses”, “winks”, “grins and smiles of enjoyment”, “thumbs-up gestures” and of course “waves” of hello and goodbye…all accompanied by the most beautiful eye contact you have ever seen!  Those olive-green eyes of awareness and understanding are by far the dreamiest and most breathtaking that I have ever gazed upon.

As these emotional “jewels” manifest themselves, other less desirable traits seem to be diminishing.  Things such as anxiety, frustration, and fear.  His demeanor seems calmer, happier, and more secure.  As a matter of fact, this calmer and happy state has had a runoff effect on the entire family.  There is a peacefulness that has settled in our home and it has replaced worry and apprehension.

There are many tiny miracles around us and we experience them in many ways everyday…some of these are as simple as a smile, or a

…“WAVE”…

By: Kimberly Larochelle

Brain Waves Problem in Autism

A  video from a news station in New Jersey,  where the Autism statistics are among the worst in the U.S.,  supporting the concept of autism spectrum disorders being a problem with brain connectivity.  The video is regarding a study done relating to auditory processing and brain waves. The video is short and sweet with enough information for you to look up the actual study if you so desire. As you all now we support the functional disconnection syndrome as part of the model to explain autism  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOIjoiTVbdM&feature=related