Day#4: Aditya in a "dual session" with Officer James and Ella

This morning, Aai and Baba got training from senior teacher William on how to conduct a dual session, with a focus on Aditya's goal of "flexibility within a variety of activities". 

When he is around peers, Aditya is currently (well, as of last week) hesitant to approach them and offer something he can do in the game they are playing, or that they all can do to begin with.  He is tentative rather than solidly knocking on their doors.

In our dual session we were going to act a bit more like 6 year olds.  We would basically begin by playing a pretend-play scenario he is comfortable with-- a story of Officer James and Ella another 6 year old who calls her dad "Bologna" because of which he gets angry and takes her away to jail! (By the way,  Officer James is a character developed by his Son Rise friend Adin and Aditya. )

Once we began this role play, we would then not invite Aditya, just play like we are 6 year olds.  Aai would lead the session, and Baba would follow her lead.  The challenge for Aditya was to see the game happening in the other corner of the room, and follow along and join the game by offering something to do, when "that" moment came.  Wow... could he do it?

We began the session, and Aditya at once began talking to the mirror and saying, "Now pretend that..."  When Aai-Baba continued to play in their little corner instead of honoring his request which he made to the mirror, he made another swing by his parents.  Finally when that did not work out, he came and grabbed Baba's (who was playing Officer James) hand and yelling "help help" as if to invite the cop to do something.... as part of the ongoing story! 

Mind blowing!  Aditya figured it out!  He figured out how to come up with a role for himself on the fly, and then offer it in an inviting way so his peers would be really excited about it.

Of course, he did not do this throughout the session.  He did get stuck when Aai announced they were going to play a different game.  But he has demonstrated that he can do this totally neuro-typical thing of "figuring out" the game and showing up in an exciting way!

Go Aditya! This sounds like you really are in stage 5... as you have been saying you want to be for the last several months now!