What?

To add another thing to the list of annoying things Jasper does at the moment.....whenever you say something to him (such as 'It's going to be a hot day today' for example) he says 'what'. In the beginning I would repeat the same sentence and he would continue replying 'what'. This could go on 6 or 7 times in a row and in the end I didn't think it was because he couldn't hear what I said, but rather, needed the time to process it maybe?

I have started to not repeat what I have said but allow him time to process it and amazingly 9 times out of ten he will make a comment (so he has in fact heard it in the first place and I don't have to go crazy repeating things over and over). However, usually his reply is just to repeat what I have already said ('It's a hot day isn't it mum'). This is pretty much the extent of our conversations at the moment and sometimes I find it really sad. I enjoy talking to him but it just becomes so frustrating when the conversation is so stilted with him just repeating back to me what I have already said. It is moments like this when the autism is really obvious to me (at other times you can almost pretend it's not there).

I remember commenting to someone about Jordy, when he was going through his assessment for Aspergers, that having a conversation with Jordy is a very 'lonely' exercise, that you are both talking but not really connecting - hard to explain. Similar with Jasper though, he is there but I feel like he is not really there, or like we are speaking in different languages. It is times like that I really miss what might have been (or wonder how Jasper might have been in a perfect world).

On another note, I used the photos Andrea printed out to show Jasper this morning we were going to creche (and then I was going to the supermarket etc). He went off happily, no tears, no anxiety (well, maybe the smallest touch of anxiety but certainly no tears and protests) but he did get upset when I went to leave and he realised he was staying and I was going to the supermarket without him. I think I confused him. I am going to be really brave tomorrow and show him 'only' the photo of creche, before we leave, to explain what we are doing. Usually he copes a lot better on Thursday after having been there the day before.

I can hear him outside harrassing his father! Better go and rescue him!