Ask Sara - How does it feel?

Also, if you want to know how it feels to be married to a person with autism........you can ask my other half...:)

Asteroids Sara - Community Champion

What a great idea, glad you've offered to do this Sara & Sara's other half,

Dylan is the same & has no concept of time, he understands tomorrow or later or in a litle while but thats it, he looks at a clock & points to the no's & says 1'o clock, 2'o clock but doesn't really understand it.  He also hates rushing, it can be a nightmare sometimes if I'm rushing to get somewhere & tell him lets rush, he just doesn't get it, it gets worse when I think we are ready to go out the door & then look round & his taken his shoes & socks off again!  Do you have trouble rushing to be on time Sara?

A question for Sara's other half, whats the best, the worst & the most interesting thing you find about having a wife on the autistic spectrum (hope thats not too personal!).

Tracy - Community Champion

Hi everyone,

Glad you like this thread. Not sure OH will manage to keep up with all the questions but he will do his best.

Time is a strange concept because telling the time is a completely different skill to timing/knowing how long a minute/hour is etc. Some children learn to tell the time very quickly whereas others really struggle. I have met adults who cannot cope with the past/to thing so it isn't that unusual. 

For a 4 year old, you really want to be teaching them concepts like day/night, today.tomorrow/yesterday, this week/next week etc. Working in 'sleeps' is a  good idea. Also, a very simple calendar will help them understand today/tomorrow etc. If they are beginning to show an interest in clocks, then start with the hours but don't try to teach them to tell the time. 

With older kids, like Hollie, they need to be able to tell the time but I don't think it matters how they do that, as long as they get it right. Hollie's 47 past 3 is very common. I'd suggest you just let Hollie know that some people would say 13 minutes to 4 rather than 47 past 3. You coudl use a simple teaching clock to show her how the time would look on a clock and explain the past/to thing but don't get too hung up on it.

The timing concept is a totally different thing. Sand timers or kitchen timers are a good idea. I use kitchen timers for kids because they have a buzzer when the time is up. There are some great ones available now. If you want the kids to be ready in 5 minutes, then tell them and set the timer. Tell them that they have to be ready when the buzzer goes off. It's a good idea to give a reminder when there's 10 minutes to go then set the timer for 5 minutes. 

Rushing to be on time isn't a concern for me. I hate being late so I will always leave early and plan for every possible eventuality: traffic jam, getting lost, trouble parking etc. I tend to get to places so ridiculously early that I have to sit around for a hour or so. I take food and drink and a book. However, if I am going with someone else and they are slow getting ready, I get very anxious and start pacing.

Asteroids Sara - Community Champion

Thanks Sara,

I'll have a go with the time advice.....wierd, but comforting to hear its really common, although it is a concept so I guess that is why..... :0) 

Claire - Community Champion

OH is working in London for a few days so I'm here on my own.

Just wondering if anyone else has noticed that the letters ASD appear together, in order, on a qwerty keyboard.

Like I said, I'm here on my own :)

Asteroids Sara - Community Champion