TELEVISION
Henry is the only kid with autism I've heard about who does not love TV/videos/computers. I have not yet met or read of another autistic kid who does not have some kind of an obsession for one/all of these things. Although such an obsession can drive parents nuts, at time it can be a useful thing. One of Henry's major deficits is in playing: he simply has no interest in amusing himself through ordinary play. Hence constant, unintentional mischief. So we are actually trying to train him to enjoy screen activities, which seems odd, as we are not TV fans. For years, the boys had no TV or gameboys, and we are thinking about revisiting that policy for the summer. But here we are, praising and rewarding Henry for sitting in front of a screen! Being the parent of an autistic kid can certainly take you places you never thought you'd go.