Tin Tin...Main Menu Only Please

              My son has always loved movies that are either Pixar or anything involving antique airplanes. The sound of a plane alone can completely grab his attention and he will totally forget all that is around him. When he was diagnosed they pulled out a small toy airplane and he immediately stood up and started to execute detailed flight patterns with it. Everyone just stopped and watched him in amazement. One woman said it took her breath away to see him do this. He will take one designated plane and spend time just practicing air tricks and making propeller sounds with extreme patience.

                I don’t know why he does this or how it came about but it is very interesting to watch him. About a month ago he started watching Tin Tin and loved the flight pattern of the old plane in the movie. Not only because it was similar to his chosen toy plane but he perfected the way the plane moves in the movie. He started by watching the entire movie then slowly it shortened up to the beginning of the movie that involves the plane the most. The problem now is the main menu. The only part he wants to watch is the main menu with the plane flying around the screen. If I attempt to play the movie he lets me know exactly how he feels about it and I don’t enjoy the reaction at all.

                This morning we have Tin Tin, main menu only, playing on the TV. Phillip is practicing his flight patterns and propeller sounds and I have to say he has mastered both. He has two other old style airplane toys that must be parked in a certain spot on the coffee table at all times unless he is playing with one. If you move one even an inch he will notice and put it back in its proper parking spot.

                On our way to football games yesterday I decided to bring one of these planes along as a backup plan for when he gets restless. The problem was I removed the plane from its designated parking spot. Most kids want to take a special toy with them but he was upset with me when we got in the van. He wanted me to take the plane back in the house and park it on the coffee table. He doesn’t speak and didn’t tell me this I just know.  I knew if I could get him away from the house with the plane he would not be so frantic about the situation. I put the plane in the bag and later on in the day gave it to him, with no protest. He took it and started practicing flight as I expected.

                This part of his difference is so interesting to me. What is it the science that creates that kind of order in his mind? I know it’s autism but the neurological difference between his mind and mine is what I would love to know. My mind is never in order and I have to force it to even come close so the complete opposite and to the extreme is fascinating to me.  Just an ounce of that order would benefit me and just an ounce of my disorder would benefit him.  These extremes happen all day long and many people don’t understand what he is doing but I do. I have to fight to pay attention and he fights to break his attention. A person could say you understand because you’re his mom but I really think a lot of it is the difference to an extreme and a respect I have for it. Society considers my disorder a weakness and his order a weakness but then again society is way too hung up on weakness and needs to focus more on the strength of others.