Puzzle Boy

Ever since Michael was a year old, he has been putting puzzles together.  When he was one, he was putting the alphabet puzzle together, in order.  His twin sister would come by and chew on a piece of the puzzle, Michael would have a complete melt down that she took the piece and that his puzzle was not in order.

When we enrolled him in a private pre-school, all of the pre-school puzzles were too easy.  I had to bring in 50 and 100 piece puzzles to keep him occupied during free choice time.  By the time he was in kindergarten we were looking at 500 piece puzzles.  Now a 1,000 piece puzzle is usually finished in a day.  How does he do it?

Michael finishing a complicated sea animal puzzle.

Michael isn't the only one.  I have run into many children on the spectrum who have an amazing gift with puzzles.  They have an amazing gift with patterns and numbers.  Their brains operate in a different way.

I am amazed at the patterns that Michael can see.  His brain is just made that way.  He is a lot like his father in this way.  My husband Chris can "see" thing too.    He can see the Matrix!  We often tease Chris that he should be nicknamed "Neo".  Even though Chris is not diagnosed with autism, I sincerely believe his brain functions like an autistic person.  I have a feeling deep in my bones that autism is at least half way genetic.   This is why Michael is high functioning, and why my step-son Dale is Aspergers.

Their minds are a wonder.  They can solve problems in very unique ways.  They solve problems differently than you and I do.  Chris affectionately calls the rest of us the "norms".  We "normals" can't figure some things out that just comes naturally to them.

Michael showing Mikayla where the next piece will fit.

Sometimes I think that maybe mother nature is evolving human kind.  Maybe this is the next step of the evolutionary process.  Maybe the reason that we are identifying more and more children on the spectrum is because that is the way nature is "growing" people now.

No matter what is happening with Mother Nature's new genetic codes, one thing is for sure, autistic people are very special and amazing.  I am very lucky to be a mommy, step-mom and wife to these guys that are definitely Somewhere Over the Spectrum.