Autism and Summer Camp

Last week Nathan went to Pensacola Christian College's Science Summer camp.  He had looked forward to this camp all year. He went last year and had a great time. He became friends with his lab's team captain and they did a lot together in their free time. Nathan has autism. He is extremely high functioning, but socialization is extremely hard for him. I knew he was struggling when waiting to check in a counselor came over to speak to him and he turn away when the guy put his hand out to shake his.

This year with Hannah graduating, it has disrupted his life and he has become more introverted. We have been encouraging him to interact with people but he has been really resistant. I was hoping for him to have some interaction during his free time with someone whom he would become friends with. Unfortunately, this did not happen. I suspected this when he called me several times a day.

He was the captain of his lab team, which I was very proud of him. Captains are picked based on the score they make on a test given the first day. We had to laugh because his team was him and two girls. They must have worked well together, because at the awards ceremony they won first place for their Biology and Chemistry reports. I was excited about how well he managed this, but then them being girls did not lead to any interactions outside of the classroom.

During his evening free time, he did participate some with other kids. He went into the escape box, so he had to work with the others to escape from jail. He really enjoyed this even though they were one clue away from escaping. He also played each night something called Gau Gau Ball, it's similar to dodge ball but crazier. He had to join in with others to play this as well.

Other times during his free time he went putt-putting by himself and he watched the fireworks on Thursday night by himself. This makes me sad to think of him being alone. I want him to make friends and feel like he belongs. In many ways he desires this also, but accomplishing this is very hard for him.

As I am raising the triplet, God is teaching me that it is OK for the kids to be different from others. Nathan was perfectly happy playing putt-putt by himself and watching the fireworks alone. Even though Nathan wants a friend he does not need a bunch of friends. God made Nathan where he was perfectly happy at camp enjoying activities by himself and with a group of people he only talk with while participating in a game.

It did make me glad when his friend called on Saturday and Nathan invited him over to play video games. It was good to hear the boys laughing and talking as they played. They even included Noah when they decided to abandon the video games and play Life. Life with Autism will always be a struggle for Nathan, especially when it comes to social activities. I will try to remember to celebrate even the small successes, as in inviting a friend over to hang out.