I have mentioned on here before about how Archie likes to watch videos of car handbrakes on YouTube. He particularly likes to see them going up and down. This week he’s expanded his video selection slightly and has been watching lifts.
A couple of days ago Archie was sat in the kitchen with the iPad watching a video repetitively; pausing it, rewinding it, and I was vaguely aware of the commentary running on a bit of a loop. It was slightly chaotic in the kitchen as Archie had also selected the music on the iPod; Joseph music by which he meant Consider Yourself from Oliver! (Joseph made it to the final round of Oliver auditions so we heard it rather a lot for a short while; Archie’s been keen ever since). Eventually interested in finding out what had caught his attention, I had a nose over his shoulder. It was the one below, a video of all the lifts in The Glades Shopping Centre in Bromley. The shopping centre Archie used to go in regularly until he was two, when we moved away from Bromley. The shopping centre he hasn’t clapped eyes on since he was two.
A few hours later he appeared next to me with the iPad in hand, Google Maps open. Baby house he said. He wanted me set the little street scene man down outside our old house in Bromley, I did, and he spent half an hour happily revisiting old haunts from his toddler years.
A Life Unlimited 
Wow! That’s so cool! In his book, ‘Asperger Syndrome, the Universe and Everything’, 10 year old Kenneth Hall (from Ireland) writes a bit about what he remembers from before he was born. He’s in MENSA, brilliant! Archie might enjoy his book – I found it very helpful . . . AND adorable (o:
Thanks for the book recommendation! Archie remembers from age 2, but not age 1. Of course we didn’t know until he was able to use google maps. I think I spent a lot of his first week on google maps with my jaw hitting the floor.
I can well imagine! I’m always aMAZED at the technological abilities of some of the kids with autism. One little girl I know walked right over to our electronic piano keyboard and got the metronome feature working for me, something I could NOT figure out for myself! I’m also awed by Archie’s fine motor skills while working his Talker and ipad!
I’m impressed by his fine motor skills on the talker and ipad as well! In general he struggles with fine motor movements, so it’s a surprise. It did take him quite a while to learn to use a mouse (hand over hand) but he’s super speedy on that now as well.
I never even thought of it, but our boy loves YouTube too! Mainly cartoons (the duck song in particular). Keep up the good work, your words are very encouraging.
Archie started with Teletubbies and Thomas before moving onto trains and bridges and eventually ending up with hand brakes. Have a look at how your son navigates YouTube as well, I have always been impressed by Archie’s ability to find the video he wants by following long sequences of search results.
Christianne, How does Archie find what he wants to see on Youtube? I have to type in the Search box what I want to see – is Archie typiing on the keyboard?
Not really. For YouTube he asks us to start him at a particular search term and then navigates through layers of search results to find the videos he wants (it would be easier to type I think, he doesn’t agree!). For googlemaps he will put the first few characters from a starting address into the search box, then select the correct choice that comes up. If the search results don’t come up then he calls for us to find it. For British Airways plane in your street, we have type in the postcode for him.
I have tried to use his interest to extend the typing he does, but he is very resistant to the idea!
Oh that’s brilliant! ‘Baby house’ is such good communication. Another YouTube fan here – at the moment Dave Benson Philips inhabits our house…
Ooh is Makaton Dave on YouTube? I had no idea!
Hello, I am a new follower! I found you over at ‘moving beyond the label’ and I found that blog through the Treating Autism site! 🙂
I have a 13 year old son who just happens to be severely autistic and non verbal.
Am off to check out your blog bright side 🙂
On the Glades lifts, I have two children with severe ASD, my son loves the Glades lifts, unfortunately we didn’t move away…..
Ah I liked Bromley 🙂 Archie would definitely be jealous that your son gets to ride in the lifts!