Adjusting to Change

Having a routine is important in an autistic person's life, but life is about change. We find that with the routine chores John does every day, he is always learning to cope with changes.

Today while cleaning the outside pen, Kimi came up and allowed him to pet her....a first for them both.

After their afternoon roll in the fine sandstone, the females started jumping and running. All five ran down beside the gate where John stood alone. He turned his back to them, held tightly with a grimace on his face, anticipating some contact. They jostled each other and raced by.

When the temperatures are low, we spend less time in the barn in the morning. Some days we work until lunch. On Sundays, chores are finished after church. When the snow is deep, we are apt to spend all afternoon snowblowing the pen. Other afternoons are spent sorting the fiber. All within a general schedule, but never an exact duplicate of the previous day.

John has become less anxious about these changes. As we transition, he often remarks, "Alpacas want to come too." Knowing that we'll be back later makes it so much easier.