Hi Mark and Kanga; (shout-out to Paul too)
People with Autism sit on a spectrum re behaviour and abilities. High functioning people can have what used to be known as 'savant' abilities. Eg...playing piano without being taught, or drawing the environment with every detail in place.
Peaceful or mindful moments for them often include spinning, rocking and repetitive actions. It's unknown why this works, but in my experience, it's very misunderstood and can be interpreted as 'out of control' behaviour.
Normal mindfulness practices don't usually work as their concentration skills can be too low. A popular movie called 'Temple Grandin' is a wonderful example of the autistic mind in action, and gave Claire Danes an Academy Award for her acting.
It's a biography of a woman who still lectures and travels advocating for autistic people around the world. As she couldn't stand to be touched or hugged, she invented a 'hugging machine' which she used to calm herself down.
As I'd worked in this field for many yrs, I absorbed the info with absolute enthusiasm. I'd recommend it for anyone who has an interest in autism.
Kanga, maybe watching this movie could give you a better understanding of autism, and hopefully your son. If not, it's still an amazing movie full of quality moments as you watch Temple struggle, strive and thrive. It depicts very well how the 'mind' is still the last frontier of discovery.
Actually, anyone who sees it may understand themselves better too; I certainly did.
Being mindful is a personal journey of discovering what works for us and what doesn't. We commonly know it as calming the mind, but some like Temple, need to calm their bodies.
Take care;
Sez x
