I'm psyched for Christmas!

[MooseMom]

I finally have something nice to look forward to!  My son is going to come and see me at Christmas!  The last time he was here was at Easter break, and I got to keep him an extra week because his return flight to London was cancelled because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland.  He was unable to come for summer vacation because my mom passed away, and I had to spend a lot of time down in Texas.  So, we decided to skip the usual summer visit and wait until Christmas, and we got his ticket booked today.  It's kinda a big deal because this will be the first time he will do the London/US trip on his own, ie not as an unaccompanied minor.  He is mildly autistic, but he is just too old to travel as a UM, but the people at British Airways know him pretty well by now, so I am hoping they'll look after him.  My concerns are for when he gets to the US; I'm not sure anyone will help him get through customs and immigration, but he has done it so many times before, I'm hoping he'll be OK.  He took his first transatlantic flight when he was four months old, so he's a pro.  I just worry about him getting flustered in the chaos that is international travel at Christmas.  So I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.  I am just hoping that my kidneys will function for just a bit longer because I sure don't want to go on D while he is here.

Anyway, I know I rarely have any happy news to share, but I finally have something nice to report, so thank you for indulging me.

But OMG, the return fare is 700 quid, and 240 quid of that is tax, fees and charges!  What the hell for?
                                                                                                         

[Jean]

that will make a wonderful Christmas for you MM. I am happy for you.

[needlephobic]

Lets don't forget the extra charge they throw in for luggage too lastr time i flew to chicago it cost me $15.00 dollars to load my luggage on the plane. its crazy I wonder if they have first class for luggage 

[MooseMom]

that will make a wonderful Christmas for you MM. I am happy for you.

Oh, thanks Jean.  I appreciate that.

You know, needlephobic, I've never thought about luggage fees on international flights.  I haven't flown outside the country in eight years, and whenever I fly within the US, I never check a bag.  So yeah, that probably means even more charges.

[Jean]

MM, can you tell me what "mildly autistic" means? I know, I do need to do some research into that, one of the grand kids has it. It confuses me a lot. Well, hahaha, no more than D does!!!

[YLGuy]

  That is great news! How much is a quid?  (yes, too lazy to google it) 

[MooseMom]

MM, can you tell me what "mildly autistic" means?

Autism is a spectrum disorder in that some are more severely affected than others.  Autism is defined as a "triad of impairments" that have to do with delays in language acquisition, impairment of "theory of mind" {the ability to imagine the feelings of others and to anticipate their actions) and impairment of social language.  Some autistic people are completely non-verbal (but NOT non-communicative...they may communicate in different ways), but on the opposide end of the spectrum, others may be overly verbose.  The majority also have lower IQs, but many have normal or above average IQs.  Generally speaking, when someone is described as "mildly autistic", that person usually will have good language skills but not the best social skills, or they may have a very limited range of interests.

The main thing to know about autism is that each autistic person experiences the disorder in a very unique way.  Some have real sensory problems that make life really difficult.  My son has a normal IQ, doesn't have any sensory difficulties and has a good command of language.  However, his range of conversation is quite limited, and he has to be reminded to try to imagine how someone else might feel in a given circumstance.  If one of your grandkids is on the autistic spectrum,  do everything you can to learn exactly how autism affects him/her.\

Just today, I watched on YouTube a lecture given by Temple Grandin.  She is autistic but is extraordinarily verbal and intelligent.  She has a PhD and is an accomplished writer.  Her claim to fame is that she has designed animal chutes that help get animals to slaughter without frightening them.  Her techniques are used by half of all cattlemen in the US.  The lecture I watched today was called "My experience with Autism", and if you want to learn about autism, it is fascinating because she is able to actually describe how autism affects her.  It's a completely different way in which the brain is hardwired.

I'd really be interested to know more about your grandkid if you care to tell me.  There is a milder form of autism called "Asperger's Syndrome", and thank God for Aspys because they seem to be the ones who write programming code and make all of the gadgets what seem to be growing out of our heads!

[MooseMom]

That is great news! How much is a quid?  (yes, too lazy to google it) 

A pound is about one dollar sixty cents.

[ChickenLittle56]

MM, I am so glad for you that you are very merry Christmas this year. 

[MooseMom]

MM, I am so glad for you that you are very merry Christmas this year. 

Awww, thanks!