Day Two of #bath ... just thinking about Autism differently

#bath ... just thinking about Autism differently

When it comes to water my son has always had a dislike, I remember from a early age Owyn refusing to wash his hands, putting his toes in the sea or been unable to do the normal bath time rituals ...  it was always like going into battle with caged animal.

He would describe the feeling of water on his skin in a upsetting and negative way ... he would cry and shout out at me with tears rolling down his checks "it's painful, the water hurts me" with every drop from our shower head he would tell me it is like being hit with a sharp needle piercing into his skin. 

It's the one image that is used over and over again, a mother getting their child out of the bath and rapping them in a big soft bath towel .... not in my house, the water and towel hurt, it's labels cut out of clothes, socks and underpants inside out, mum l cannot wear that it doesn't feel right on my skin. I have lost count of how many different pairs of shoes he wears, some days he will wear one black shoe with a blue trainer and other days he will wear one blue trainer with a green one ... that's just the world according to Owyn.  

So over the years I have battled with his loath of water until one day stripping off his clothes and putting him in a bath full of cool water to get his temperature down, we hit gold...Cold water and the colder the better.

That light bulb moment, the thinking outside of the box about his Aspergers had arrived ... not saying it was the answer to all my prayers, every second is a challenge but the temperature change opened up my mind to so many other things he founds hard, like his hair being cut.  Yes I told you my bath is our families lifeline ... sitting Owyn in the cold bath water I was able to cut his hair, not to well l must confess but beggars can't be choosers. Thankfully we have moved on from using our bath to going to a hairdressers. Of course I did have to see if she was willing to learn how to cut his hair using water while he sits back to front.  Its not the normal way to get your hair cut but it works for him and that is all the matters. 

Getting Owyn to think about #bath was like the times I try to keep the dog away from the cat, stupidly l always try to protect the cat by picking her up, she returns the favour by sinking her claws into my arm, and of course its a painstaking task to remove each claw one at a time .... well that explains Owyn in the bath with his brothers at the same time. Anyway, what I am trying to tell you is, this little mans journey to get his picture for our bathroom wall has been the hardest of all my boys.  We still have days when I could put a peg on my nose and would really like to take a scrubbing brush to his nails but then I know l would be going against everything I am striving towards. 

Do you know what makes me smile? everyday Owyn, trying to overcome his sensory overload by him understanding me and what I ask of him ... when he comes and says, "next time Mum I would like to try and sit the right way around in the hairdressers chair and hopefully we won't flood the floor again" this is when I know I have taught my boy to think differently about his Aspergers.

Hope you enjoy our project #bath ... just thinking about Autism differently