Julian’s face was the picture of bliss, at least his kind. His eyes were closed and his smile was so wide that it nearly rose up to meet the tips of his ears. I’d walked into my son’s room to witness this scene. Julian, sprawled out on his bed, surrounded by toy animals, books and Disney dvd boxes while “The Lion King” played on his TV/monitor, “The Jungle Book” was humming along on a portable dvd player on his desk and Al Green’s classic “Let’s Stay Together” was soothing the room from his cd player. All at the same considerable volume!
This was Julian in complete repose. Hard for most of us to comprehend this being comforting and relaxing, three things going at once. It sounded like confusion to me, but for Julian it was a slice of nirvana. I stood just inside the doorway looking at my son, he was unaware of my presence, and thought of the irony. Here was this person who, like most with autism, tend to focus intently on one thing, awash in the (obvious) apparent joy of multiple audio stimuli.
After staring awhile longer I had to engage him, this seemed like noise to me. I asked if he wanted me to turn down, or off, one of the devices. He was quick to decline the offer. He informed me that he was listening to all three and could hear each one clearly. It was all just the way he liked it, remember it’s about Julian not me or the outside world. I realized he was really happy in the moment and excused myself from his room.
I don’t know that there is a scientific explanation for this, maybe it hasn’t even been considered by researchers. I suspect, there is probably something exceptional about his ability to absorb different streams of information at one time, provided they are in areas that are of interest to him.
This runs counter to conventional thought and scholarship about autism. Science has determined that the very reason some people with autism excel at one thing is because their brains are wired to prevent reception and processing of multiple streams of information, simultaneously.
However, as all of us connected to the world of autism know, if you’ve met one person with autism…you’ve met one person with autism. So, for Julian, this is his way of escaping and relaxing. Considering all that he deals with on a daily basis as he faces a world that is still finding its way in understanding persons with autism, I think it’s just fine.
I made my way downstairs to join Martina in the den, where she was reading. We could hear the “interesting” symphony coming from Julian’s room. She peered over the top of her book at me, I knew what she was wondering.
I smiled, shrugged my shoulders and assured her, “He’s fine, just chillin, Julian style.”
That made me smile. Thanks Dwayne and Julian!