I printed out these Disney Pixar "Inside Out" Activity Pages for Norrin to work on. I was excited because I'm excited about "Inside Out." Norrin was excited because it was an opportunity to color.
If you're the parent of a "typical" kid and you see a kid coloring, you probably think: no big deal. I know that's what I used to think. Because I loved coloring as a kid. Holding a pencil or crayon just came naturally to me. The skill that I took for granted, didn't come so easily for Norrin.
I remember how Norrin used to struggle to hold a pencil. The hours of occupational therapy to acquire a proper grip. How he hated it. He hated writing and coloring. He hated activity pages like connect the dots or a maze. He'd stare at the page, unsure of what to do until I took his hand in mind to show him. If I didn't, he'd scribble all over the page for a few seconds and move on to another activity.
I remember how he'd cry when therapists brought out the scissors. He just didn't have the strength in his hand to cut a straight line. This took years of practice.
These days, I have to hide the crayons, pencils and pens. (Even my lip liners aren't safe in his presence.) I have scissors stashed away. Norrin can spend hours coloring, drawing, writing and cutting. And I am always so proud of his work. I am amazed by how hard he tries, how he focuses and the progress he continues to make. Just see for yourself --
After Norrin finished, we talked about feelings and what those feelings look like. Which is also kind of a big deal because we constantly work on facial recognition, feelings and social cues - you know the thing that so many kids with autism struggle with.
I'm happy that I captured this major milestone. Norrin loves watching it and I love that I am able to recognize progress when I see it.
We've been invited to an advance screening of "Inside Out" and I'm really looking forward to seeing it. I have this feeling that it will be an important film for our kids. I'll keep you posted.
