We had our first foray out to the pool today – summer has officially begun!
Both my boys, S (7 y.o.) and E (5 y.o.), have autism. They are a great living example of how differently kids on the autism spectrum can present. S is extremely analytical, with a brain that never shuts off, but is not much interested in his peers. E, on the other hand, is incredibly social, but remains uninterested in the academic portion of school.
Both boys, however, love swimming! One of the family treats during the winter is to drive over to LaVale, MD, and spend a night in a Best Western hotel there that has an indoor swimming pool. Last summer, E broke his foot and was in a cast in most of the summer – up until Labor Day weekend when the neighborhood pool closed. So, we were thankful that it was in the 90’s yesterday and today, so that the pool would be tolerable temperature-wise.
The water was a little chilly, especially since we went before lunch, but the boys were very happy to have an hour to paddle about.
We’re also working on bike riding – the boys each picked out new bikes at Toys R Us last weekend. And I figured that it would be another summer like the past two where we try to get them out and riding, but with little success. This is year is different, however – HOORAY! We have been out riding each night since I picked them up on Wednesday (I decided it was worth the 6 hours of my time it would have taken me to assemble both bikes to simply pay the $20 to TRU to assemble them). S has hand braking down, and E has finally grasped the foot brakes. With their issues with hypotonia, we are so happy that it looks like we can add bike riding to our outdoor activities. 
