I remember an embarassing moment when Christian was in OT. When we arrived, the therapist reminded me that we weren't scheduled for therapy that day. She said we could stay for a short session or just skip it and go home. Thinking of all the ABA training we were receiving at home, I immediately thought I should give Christian the choice so he didn't have a meltdown. I got down to his level and quietly asked him if he wanted to stay for a short session or go home. He didn't really make a firm decision, so I repeated the question a couple of times. As his therapist walked by she said, "Hmmmph. Letting a four-year old decide what to do."
I felt I was doing the right thing at the time, but after the therapist's no-so-under-her-breath comment, I realized how I looked trying to get a four-year old make a decision about whether to stay or go when he clearly didn't really understand the situation or care. At some moments, I can get so focused on the autism that I lose sight of the situation as a whole.
PS - The picture is actually Ehren. I don't think I have a picture of Christian in OT.
