Wheel of wonder

We caught the last day of Ringling’s Boom-a-Ring performance at Coney Island yesterday, capped with a few hours of Coney Island entertainment.

Alex is able to sit through live performances these days, so a couple of times a year we go to a circus, where he enjoys high-wire acrobatics and the spectacle of bodies literally flying through the air. He seems to enjoy more of the performance each time he goes. Yesterday he seemed to really pay attention to the superlative juggling (more things flying through the air, I guess) as well as the first appearance of the elephant, parading grandly around the ring.

Photo/Jill Cornfield

While we were waiting to get in, we saw a number of kids and people on the spectrum. It seems like the circus is a great place to go for people who can take the darkness and lights and stimulation. If you make some noise, that’s OK. There are many opportunities to clap and cheer. Since the circus really is for all ages, what does it matter if you’re 15 or 20 and still like to go?

Alex loves Coney Island, too, and there’s still plenty left. He insisted on taking Jeff for a brief wade in the ocean. We all enjoyed a hot dog from Nathan’s and a few rides. Alex and I rode one of the swinging cars on the Wonder Wheel, pictured above, and we screamed and laughed at how high we were, and how the car sped along its track way above the world.

*   *   *

A pediatric speech and language clinic in New Hampshire is sponsoring a boy who they’ve helped with assisted communication alternatives, such as the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). The event is the 2009 N.H. Walk for Autism, scheduled for Oct. 4 in Greeley Park in Nashua. Donations and donors for the event are still needed.

*   *   *

With newly certified lead therapists and children who have graduated from their program, the Minnesota Autism Center is ready to serve families. October is often a busy time for referrals, but there’s no waiting list for families in southeast Minnesota.

*   *   *

The winner of our poster giveway (artwork that supports education about autism by Jaime and Jeffrey Rugh)  is Kal, mother of twin boys on the spectrum. Visit her at autismtwins. Thanks for reading!