June 8, 2015

As I kept repeating ad nauseam, Robert and I study almost every day.  Sometimes more, sometimes less.  Robert learns, forgets, relearns, places the new information among well-known facts, gets confused, forgets, and learns again.  The process is not straight forward by any means, but there is a progress.  How useful is that progress  for his day-to-day functioning is another matter, much harder to answer.  I believe that when Robert understands more academics, his understanding of his environment also increases.  But this is only my belief and not empirically confirmed knowledge.

And yet his ability to write down what he attempts to say without being understood, is the great tool which at the same time decreases his frustration and the frustration of those who listen to Robert. Of course, there are things Robert learns outside the table where we study together.  He learns those important little things that are the cells of life.

1.This month, Robert began to eat raspberries bought in the store.  Before this month he ate raspberry only when picked by him at the raspberry farm. He turned head away any time, I tried to entice him to eat raspberry bought at the store.  even organic ones he ignored. Now, he eats them without even being encouraged to do so.

2. After visit to Horseneck Beach in Westport, Robert asked his dad to go to the Bay Restaurant. Not McDonald, Applebee’s. Outback or any other chain restaurant, but he asked for local Bay Restaurant, not far from the beach.  Maybe he was very hungry and asked for the closest restaurant, the one  he remembered from the previous visits to the beach and the restaurant.

3. Last Thursday, I waited for Robert by the stairs, inside JCC in Newton. It was the third time, he went to men’s locker room to get ready for the pool and to get dressed after his swimming lesson. I got anxious as he was not getting out of the men’s dressing room. I was afraid he could get in trouble for one reason or another.  I decided to ask a man sitting at counter for help.  As I was walking toward the man, I noticed Robert already dressed up in his jacket, turning around the parent’s waiting room and looking for me. He passed by me when I talked to his swimming teacher. He knew where to was supposed to meet me, he looked around, and he waited.