First off, please remember that what I share on this blog is our life. I’m not a doctor or therapist or any other professional. I’m sharing ideas that might work for your child – but you need to decide what to try and what to ignore. As I’ve said before, what works for Casey may not work for Rob and vice versa.
On to their sense of sight…
Since they can’t tell me exactly what they see, I rely on what they draw to tell me how well they see. They both have hyper-sensitive sight, meaning they see much better and more details than most of us.
Casey can color and paint the smallest details on her projects – but only if she sees the need to do that. 🙂 Often, she is in such a hurry to move on to the next project or fun thing to do that she rushes through her art. I have only a few examples of the details she sees in things.
Rob, on the other hand, can use his iPad to draw amazing pictures with details in the cars and characters that I’ve never noticed. The little things that tend to blend into the bigger picture, he sees. He used to use the “paint” program on my old computer to draw characters from the Wizard of Oz – and every one would have little details. Dorothy’s shoes had sparkles, her basket had weave, her dress was perfectly spaced blue and white checks. The lion had a puff of long hair at the end of his tail and the scarecrow had hay sticking out in different places. I so wish more of those pictures had gotten saved and printed. But, when Rob is done with his drawing, he immediately erased it. I only have a few of them. 🙁
His drawings of trucks and cars include the smallest details of the hub caps of each car. He knows the license plate numbers of several vehicles. He can tell from several blocks away if a car coming towards us is someone we know. I’m lucky to notice as we pass!
When he uses sidewalk chalk, he draws each letter in calligraphy. He can write beautifully – again, when he wants to. Most of the time, he seems to think what I’d like him to do is pointless, so he is fast. But, when he writes thank you notes or signs cards, he carefully and perfectly signs his name. He can make elaborate creations with his Legos, but often sticks to his trees and power poles. (He still stares at power poles with a fascination I don’t understand. I’ve wondered if he hears a hum from them.) Wind turbines are especially fascinate him – he could watch for hours.
Rob loves running water – ocean waves, waterfalls, creeks. I know it is incredibly relaxing to him, but I’ve also discovered that he loves them because of the patterns he sees in each. He sees colors and designs where I see running water. I love waterfalls for the beauty I see, but he sees a much deeper beauty in each. No matter how small, he has to stop and stare at running water. A few summers ago, he actually went wading with us (it had been years since he did that!) and he just stood and stared at his feet.
When I got closer, I could hear him talking. He was naming all of the colors of small pebbles he saw by his feet. Again, I saw some colors, but to me, they were mostly brown or tan. Rob saw so many more colors than I did, until I finally slowed down and really looked. He will stare at a fire – flowers blowing – blades of grass. He is in his element in nature.
Something else I’ve learned. For Casey and Rob, looking into someone eyes is very distracting. They have both told me that eyes move. I couldn’t understand what they meant until I really studied how the eye works and understood that they were seeing the pupil constantly move. They also see the different colors in people’s eyes. You may think your eyes are blue or brown, but to Casey and Rob, there are lots of colors in them and those colors are distracting.
I’ve often heard people with autism say “I can listen to you or I can look you in the eye.” That is definitely Casey and Rob. That is one of the first things I try to explain to new people they meet – they are always listening, no matter what they are doing. Please be aware of this when you talk around your child. Even when they are completely occupied with something, they are listening!
One thing does surprise me with their eye sight. I know they are both very sensitive, but sunlight doesn’t bother either of them. They have sun glasses and might wear them, but they don’t insist on it. I would think that if they see so many details, that sunlight would be hard to handle, but they don’t seem to care.
I do know a few people with autism who choose to wear dark glasses as much as possible to try and block out some of the constant details that are always around them. Rob had a really hard time in stores as a little guy because he saw the lights constantly flickering. Casey would have meltdowns because the flickering lights were making her feel sick. If your child has a hard time in stores, try putting sunglasses on or letting them wear a hat they can pull low over their face. Movies theaters are also difficult because of the flashing lights in the dark room.
When your child has a meltdown, try to write down where you are, what is around you – you may discover their problem is too much visual stimulation and they can’t get away from it. This may also be the cause of your child wanting to walk with their eyes closed. Bumping into things is easier than dealing with the constant stimulation of colors and shapes around them.