AND more............(I am long winded)

AND...haha. Yes...AND....Noah indeed is very true autistically when he makes these sounds.

This is very difficult for anyone to "GET" if they are not around an autistic person all the time or are not autistic themselves. SO hard to understand this. Noah indeed makes sounds walking to the car in the mornings. He made sounds walking up the sidewalk to the school doors "every" day when he went to public school. He made them coming out the school doors when we picked him up all the way to the car. He makes sounds walking up to the library doors or to Target or the grocery store. He also kind of jerks around and MOVES a lot instead of just plain walking. He actually needs to do these things so we let him. When I ask him how he feels he says "I am excited". He always seems to feel excited, which I think is a true description I am sure of how he feels!

I don't try to suppress him as he would not be able to handle going out then at all most likely. I do try to set limits on WHEN or WHERE he can make these sounds and he complies to the best of his abilities. I want him to know it is OKAY for him to be HIM and make these sounds and noises in his room but that most public places he goes to will be considered quiet places and that he will not be allowed to make those sounds there.

MANY people stare and watch and listen and look at Noah on his journeys down the sidewalk to wherever we are going. I ignore them. I am sure they wonder if something is wrong with him. I know some people actually carry cards and say "My child is autistic. What is your excuse?" but I think that might be going a bit too far? hahahah.

I just think silently to myself "yes..there is something different about Noah but right now he is not hurting anyone and he is still outside in the open air and is free to be HIM until we hit that public door and go inside a public place. Then he too will have to learn and try to abide by the rules. However, if he wants to dance down the sidewalk back to the car singing or making his sounds I will always let him. THAT is WHO he is. It is the very essence of his being and to make him stop that would be like trying to extinguish his own individuality. His own life force. I just can't and won't do it.