Catatonia and Autism (superior functioning)
What’s a good name for my client today? Let’s call him, Clay. Clay’s wires between commands and body compliance aren’t reliable. The higher the anxiety, the greater likelihood he will freeze, and it looks like a refusal, but it’s pure severance, failure or misdirection of signals, so his hand, holding an item to consume, like french fries or a bottle of water, stops halfway raised, and it won’t go further, even if people yell at him to drink or eat or walk, whatever it is, he can’t do it. You have to move the body for him, or at least act like you’re doing it, like a gesture of helping pull up pants after using the toilet. Sometimes you have to remind him how to walk, breath, one step at a time, first in, then out, and give some words to the event, for memorability, like left foot, right foot, drinky drink then put it down, raise em up, pull em down, etc.
After hours of singing, reading, taking walks, taking a bath, eating snacks, saying scripts from TV shows/movies together, we get tired. I doze in the chair.
I think, I could climb onto that bed and we both take a nap. I could, actually, probably. But it would be in another decade, not this one. It would be weird in this decade. I’m starting to feel like we’re twins. I’ve let him latch onto me, and I’ve latched onto him, in a natural way, that could doze off.
I’m convinced that EVERYTHING is going in, while very little is coming out in words.
He’s aware of everything. He just can’t say any of it. He can whisper sometimes. He can recite scripts that may have tangental meaning with the present moment. He’s great at mimicking things (so am I). We spend time just going back and forth with fake laughter, or saying something that he likes to say, sometimes nonsensical. There’s NO ONE else I’d feel natural having hours of eye contact and hand holding with but him. If he was a speaking, high functioning neuro-norm person, I could never do that/this. That’s AMAZING.
Who are they? What are they? What are their languages? My guy communicates the most with his hand, and facial expressions. You should see him show, “I’m just a little sad.” It looks SO SAD. But why, buddy? He cannot say “why” yet. I try sentence starters and connecters: because.. I’m sad because…” “I want… Clay wants…” He can’t finish them yet. I have to guess based on experience.
“My tummy hurts? I have to go to the bathroom?” “I have to go to the bathroom!” (question/prompt based on the smell of human gas emitted, haha)
I’m grateful for Clay. I wonder how long I’ll know him, work for his family. I hope we’re close until the end of my working, knowing times.