A lot of the stress of caring for a special needs child involves looking toward the future. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve wondered if he’ll able to hold a job, and have friends, and manage a household (even if it’s only him in it) then I wouldn’t have to worry about because I could just pay people to do it for him.
But those are just my concerns, sometimes I step back and try to look at it from his point of view. I don’t think he’s going to be the kind of guy who will go to a job he dislikes everyday to make sure his bills are paid. It’s often all or nothing with autistic kids, and I have the feeling a career with be no different. So it’s not uncommon for me to look at the likes and skills he has now and wonder if he’d be able to make a career out of them.
Unlike me, he isn’t a writer. Large writing or reading projects overwhelm him. He loves being read to, and acting out stories, but hates writing and reading. Unlike Jason, he’s probably not going to be able to work in at a job that requires a lot of communication, often with drugged people.
One thing he’s very good at it mimicking. Especially static things, like logos. So we’re mused about him working with graphic design. Lately he’s been working with a very familiar childhood material, Legos. Now the things he is interested in he tends to take into different places than most kids. when I say he likes to build with Legos I don’t mean houses I mean:
He makes the THX logo and the New Line Cinema logo. He’s made cars from F Zero X (one of his favorite video games). He’s made little Mario worlds, goombas and more.
Today I was watching Rachel Ray (as much as I’d like to say it was because of Dr. G being on the show, no, I really watch Rachel Ray) and another guest was Nathan Sawaya. If you don’t know who he is, he’s an artist who makes sculptures from Legos (gallery here).
Seeing some of his work just blew my son’s mind. People can get paid to do what he’s doing right now. And also there are so many more things to build than Marios and PBS logos. Even more so, people can get paid to be strange and different. That last bit’s the thing that really engaged him. You don’t have to be a doctor or lawyer or computer guy. You can be completely outside the box, and if you are driven enough and clever enough you can succeed at it.
So remember that. Me, I’m going to try to be as bold and unique as my son, and try to help him see that there’s nothing wrong with being different.
