Adult Blankies
As their youngsters with autism graduate from high school, parents look for ways to help them transition into the world of adulthood. Among other things, they look for appropriate security objects. One of my friends calls these items “adult blankies” in reference to the tattered baby blanket her son carried around until it literally shredded apart. To ward off emotional outbursts that would result from the absence of his old faithful comfort object, she came up with a creative replacement for his disappearing blankie.
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Although this young man is non-verbal, he is able to communicate his preferences and opinions with pointing and picture cues. As his horizons expand, he is discovering more and more interests. One of his new passions is cars. His mom capitalized on that new interest, and replaced his shredded blankie with a car magazine. He carries his magazine everywhere, even putting it under his pillow at night. He has a subscription to the magazine, so a replacement shows up in the mailbox each month. His parents bought him a small bookcase to keep his “old” magazines as well as a picture frame with the last remaining shreds of his tattered old baby blanket.
Another parent capitalized on her grown daughter’s interest in people to replace a teddy bear that was beyond recognition and repair. The disintegrating bear was replaced with laminated photos of relatives holding the bear. For example, her sister posed with the tattered bear before she went away to college, and her parents took a snapshot of her grandmamma holding the bear when she came to visit during the holidays. The 4×6 photos were glued on a bright piece of paper, then laminated with clear Contact paper. The Contact paper is softer than traditional lamination, allowing this young lady to fold and crumble the pictures without destroying them. Her mom keeps several copies of the pictures in reserve so she can replace the laminated treasures if necessary.
We welcome stories about beloved blankies as well as ideas from other parents who have created satisfactory replacements for their youngster’s tattered baby blanket. Just click on the comment button or send us an e-mail message at talk@FAQautism.com.
NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. Feel free to send me an email with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. Send email to talk@FAQautism.com And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com
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