I Can't Run, But I Can Read

This blog isn't just about me and my running.  It's about a condition my son, Noah, has.  Autism is, as I have said many times before, a strange thing indeed.  While his condition is no where near severe, he has his limitations, usually with socializing and appropriate words and behaviors.  At first glance and meeting, many people have no clue that Noah is even on the spectrum.  It usually doesn't show until he has an episode.

Two days ago Noah was in his room, screaming and crying.  Upon investigation I found him in front of his computer, pounding on the desk telling me, "it just doesn't work!  I didn't do anything to it!"  As it turns out, the PC had gotten a virus that wasn't allowing the darn thing to function properly on the internet.  So dear old dad took a bit of time to get the thing working again.  But fits like these are common in our house, and most of us have grown accustomed to them and deal with them with efficiency now.  But, sometimes the issue isn't that easy.

As the title of this post says, since I can't run due to the painful left foot, I am reading.  And today I came across an issue that is prevalent in our house, and apparently many other homes with those on the autism spectrum.  From time to time Noah will just disappear.  Yes, he disappears.  If he thinks of something he wants or wants to do he just goes.  No warning, no asking, no questions, he just does what he wants.  As a parent this scares me.  Read through the article I've linked on CNN's website, it's an eye opener.  To think that many children wander off to go swim, or go to the corner store, or whatever is frightening for parents; and it is something we deal with from time to time.

For Tina and I the worst fears come when we visit Kings Island during the summer, or when we go on vacations.  Fortunately we haven't had to deal with losing him for more than 30-45 seconds, but the fear is always present.  Even when we tell him to stay inside he goes out to play in the yard without even a peep as to his intentions, so taking him to an amusement park or to a not so familiar place for vacations is troubling to say the least.

Read the article, share it with others, and if you happen to see a young one wandering with poor verbal or no verbal skills, get help and try to reunite that little one with the parents as soon as possible.