Huh. I Guess You Never Know.

Image credit: Photo by nickwheeleroz on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons

Now rumor would have it that my son's autism translates into rigid, ritualistic behavior patterns. And you may have heard that he's afraid to try new things: from new play structures to new foods. But don't listen.

Yesterday, his sister asked to go play at a friend's house. To my surprise, Austen said, "I want to go too."

"Well," I said, trying to play it cool, "That's ok with me, as long as it's ok with Valerie's mom. I think Valerie and Janie will probably be doing arts and crafts. Is that ok with you?"

"Yes. That's ok. I've never been before and I want to go."

"Ok. We'll ask."

Valerie loves Austen and her mom was happy to let us give it a try.  The experiment didn't last long, as far as playdates go: about ten minutes total. But for those ten minutes Austen played happily (if unexpectedly) with Janie, Valerie and Valerie's older sister. Then he said, "I want to go home, Mama."

"Ok, buddy. Off we go," I said.

So, my child -- who is supposedly obsessive in his interests and rigid in their execution, who has often shown he fears change and newness -- participated, with no prompting and at his own request, in a non-preferred activity in an unfamiliar location. Huh. I guess you never know. Which, I suppose, is not a bad thing to remember when dealing with any person, big or small, autistic or neurotypical.