We went to see the new Ice Age movie with a friend that A. met at camp for kids w/ special needs.
In the movie, the good guys are adrift on the ocean and happen upon some Sirens who have transformed themselves into attractive animals, who are making beautiful music, saying beautiful words, . Manny, (mammoth played by Ray Romano), realizes that they are Sirens and that they are in trouble if they are drawn by the beauty of their songs, so he stuffs leaves in his ears to muffle the sound.
As we were riding home from the movie, my daughter - the one who regressed into autism after her first birthday - asked what those creatures were. "Sirens," I explained, from Greek Mythology, and their songs were so beautiful that they could capture sailors that way.
She thought for a moment, and then exclaimed in a big voice, "OH, SO *THAT'S* WHY MANNY PUT LEAVES IN HIS EARS!"
So many times, for a kid on the autism spectrum, an action has no meaning. Manny stuffing leaves into his ears is simply Manny stuffing leaves into his ears. Context and past experience come together with actions to create meaning, and today, she made a connection that delighted me! Now, she is going through her books on Greek Mythology to try to find some information on the Sirens and she's looking on the internet for info about them. When she found Sirens on the internet, she exclaimed, "I found them! I found them!"
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