Getting into the television

Jane and I were walking through a nearby park.  The sun was shining and if you stepped off the shady path into the sun you could almost forget the chilly breeze.  A gentleman with a dog, a big coat and hat walked past us.  Jane was busy commenting on some crocuses that were coming up through the grass.  As she looked back she saw the gentleman and said to me, "Look, I can see Sven."

Of course, she was talking about Sven from Disney's Frozen. By the time I'd figured out what she was saying, the gentleman was a bit far away to say hello, so we talked for a moment how we might see him again another day.  I also made a mental note to talk again to Jane, who is nearly three years old, about not talking to strangers without mummy or daddy.

Then, Jane announced that she had an idea. She'd figured out how we could see 'Sven' again. "You need to get some scissors and cut a hole in the television." Ahhh.. yes, that way we can get into Frozen.

Jane and I laughed loudly for a few minutes while I talked about how we can't cut a hole in the television.

Wouldn't that be silly, clever idea, but a bit silly.

Kids are going to lose themselves in virtual reality when it comes out. However, the event also reminded me of the literal thinking her brother showed in a similar circumstance.

Anthony is an eight year old boy with autism.  Like many autistic children he uses television and books to help him with his imagination.  He was reading a book from school about a magical adventure. Often if Anthony is reading a book that sparks interest we will try and find a way to allow him to experience this.  For example, in one story the children were transported back in time to the Blitz.  We took Anthony to the Imperial War museum to see what life was like during the war.

However, this magical adventure was a bit too far for us to 'visit'.  Anthony had mentioned the trip to the museum to his teachers and they had suggested he imagine being in the new magical story.  So at bedtime whilst reading his book, Anthony asked me, "But mum, how do I get into the story." 

I looked closely at him and realised he wasn't just looking closely at his book, he was physically pushing his cheek into the page.  Next he got out of bed and put it onto the floor to jump into the pages 'Mary Poppins into a chalk pavement picture' style. Like many autistic people, he has had difficulty with communication and realising the real value or meaning of some phrases and questions.

It was adorable of course.  Then we talked about the real meaning of 'getting into the story' and he is now pretty good at using his imagination this way.

As for Jane, well, we are hoping to visit one of the Disney theme parks at Easter.  This will surely blow her mind.

Links
Our blog - Beautiful Belle has a point about books
Our blog - Rocky reality: Autism and imagination

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