Day two of MEA weekend was not as exciting. Play dough, painting at the kitchen table and Wallace and Gromit’s The Curse of The Were Rabbit. (I got a short nap in the movie theater so the day went good for me.) It was so so for Maddie. Our play date fell through with the other family.

My recommendation is to always plan ahead. This is really a lot of work but pays off in the long run. I try to have a game plan of something to do anytime there is free time. Either in some sort of class, or with other kids or just an activity at the table, otherwise she will spend the entire day in front of the TV with Sponge Bob.

Maddie doesn’t have the typical self stimulating behaviors (stimming) that most autistic kids have like hand flapping or arm waving, however I think food and the TV are her stimming behaviors. I have been trying to find some kind of alternative or substitute behavior for food and TV but I am still struggling with this one. I will talk more about our experience with food and diet for autism in later entries.