Folks with special needs often have lives that are simple. I didn’t say easy; I said simple. Over the course of our sons’ span of 39 years of life, it has been interesting to observe how little he wants, how little he asks for, and how little he has. Of course, what he does have is very important, meaningful, and necessary to and for him. Things like his:
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DVD’s
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Disney movies (yes, some are VHS)
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Tape recorder
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CD player
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Nintendo 64
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Playstation 2
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Wii
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Hand games, like Gameboy
Should we be getting ready to travel, or if he is staying overnight at my sisters or our daughter’s homes, he knows very well how to pack for a few days: all of the above and not one item of clothing! Oh, and no toothbrush or shaver! See? He keeps it so very simple!
HELP!
Learning ways to simplify his life and ours has been good for all of us. We know that in helping him choose clothes the night before, and getting out shoes and other items he’ll need can save a lot of frustration and even arguments if planned ahead. Long ago, we learned how much easier it was for the whole family, Joey, and us if we simply labeled his shoes “R” for right and “L” for left. It allowed him to get his shoes on by himself and wait seated until one of us could tie them. Yes, this took a lot of training, but we got there! It was a simple “help” that helped us all.
As Joey’s parents, we can say that the simplicity of his life has overflowed into ours, and we’ve learned a lot. We’ve learned some short cuts, and we’ve even learned how to hide things or divert his attention from things that are triggers for frustrating him. When we’ve taken note of his poor responses, times of frustration, or even outbursts, and can link it to a solution that works, that is a “slam dunk”! Here are a few things that have helped simplify life for us:
