There was a time when Marcus was about 6 years old that he became obsessed by what we ended up calling the “just walking” toddler. You know the one. They perpetually look like they are going to fall over. Marcus could spot the kid from a mile away and he’d make a beeline to the kid and push him or her over. The parents were aghast and inevitably looked at me like I was the worst parent in the world. I developed a keen eye for spotting the kid before Marcus and quickly ushering him away. But when I didn’t react in time, the kid was doomed.
We had some scary moments. One child hit her head when she fell and cried horribly. Once he pushed a child at the top of a slide; luckily he wasn’t hurt. The look parents would shoot me hit me square in the stomach. There really is nothing to say at a moment like that. If I say he has Tourette etc., they just think I’m making an excuse for bad behavior. I usually just grabbed Marcus up and rushed him away to the car.
I know what he’s thinking because I believe we all think things like that. “Just fall already” or “What if I just pushed him a little?” Marcus thinks then does, no hesitation. I don’t know how you teach that hesitation for think time where we learn not to act on our thoughts. Even now at 13, he impulsivity is incredible. Sometimes he thinks before he acts but that doesn’t stop him from acting; it just takes longer. Dr. Mink calls them “implusions” – compulsion and impulsion combined. Makes total sense to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment