Reading Between the Lines
            Communication can be challenging even between the most articulate of persons. Missed nuances, misinterpreted tones, misunderstood intentions.
            Trouble understanding each other expands geometrically without a shared native tongue, or worse, with no shared language at all.
            Imagine the struggle when a person has little or no ability to speak. In the special needs world, the term “non-verbal” is often applied to persons who actually have some spoken or written language capability, but at a barely functional level.
            Parents of limited-language children spend a great deal of time guessing the meaning of actions or utterances that would totally confuse outsiders. Words that are not enunciated clearly, atypical gesturing, aggressive behavior, a face devoid of emotional clues.
            Without clear communication signals, we have to make educated guesses. This is an art form in and of itself. Autistic individuals may have particularly unique ways of expressing themselves. On movie field trip day at our son’s new special needs program for young adults, we received a phone call.
            “He won’t leave the theater and we have to catch a bus.”
            “Have the end credits finished? He won’t budge until the end credits have completely cleared the screen.” How would someone new to our son know that?
            “He was lying face down in the middle of the hallway today.”
            “That usually means his stomach is upset,” we explain. It took us years to figure that one out, so how could anyone else guess?
            Parents and teachers not only work hard to understand an individual’s mode of expression, we also try to teach communication skills so the general population can understand.
            Sometimes there’s progress. Sometimes there isn’t.
            In the meantime, we keep reading between the lines.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Golden Gate Overlook Walk, leads past historic military sites with the Golden Gate Bridge in view. 
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos! Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. 
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this week:
Hike Notes 86: Golden Gate Overlook Walk

Magical Places on Repeat
            My autistic son plays five-second clips of video repeatedly, a hundred times if allowed. Volume turned high. Certain audio and visual combinations, mixed with emotional memory, scratch neurological spots he needs to itch.
            He’s not alone. I’ve played ten-second segments of certain songs over and over again because they strike a certain nerve. A snippet from a Chopin mazurka, a short blast of Led Zeppelin, a dash of Kendrick Lamar. I play on repeat until I’ve scratched that auditory-emotional itch. I drove my dad crazy as a kid by playing one of his favorite record albums—which became one of my frenzied favorites—so many times that he asked me to stop so I didn’t ruin it for him. He was totally right. (I couldn’t help play it one more time before putting the record away.)
            We are grateful that our son Sean is no longer completely trapped by the need to do only what is familiar. He has gained the ability to visit new places, after years of that feeling impossible (see background story on the Home page).
            Yet there is comfort in repetition.
            Like Sean, we understand the pleasure of experiencing the same place more than once. The area above Rodeo Beach, around Battery Townsley in the Marin Headlands, is one of those places for us.
            It may merit a short walk one day, a long hike on another. The ocean may be sparkling like diamonds, surfers appearing as silhouettes in the foreground of a stunning background of big ships and rock formations. Or it may be so foggy you can barely see ten feet in front of you, an aesthetic pleasure in its own right.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Old Bunker Road, lead us on a one mile path between the Marine Mammal Center and Battery Townsley in the Marin Headlands, offering glorious views of rolling hills and the Pacific.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos! Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. 
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this week:
Hike Notes 85: Old Bunker Road

Underestimating Ourselves
            One of the things special needs parents fear most is that others will underestimate our child’s capacity to learn and grow. Individuals who learn and communicate differently are easily left by the wayside. Being stuck in neutral isn’t the worst of it. If there is a lack of opportunity and support for moving forward, special needs individuals slip backwards.
            For us, having a son who was scared to leave the house, scared to go in the car, and scared to set foot in a new place made every step forward seem impossible.
            Workers in the special needs field sometimes spot an opening that a parent can’t see, or is afraid to try. An outdoor activity helper decided that it was time for our son to try kayaking. Despite being afraid of so many things. Despite not knowing how to swim.
            With the logistical help of our helper, my son and I found ourselves floating in kayaks on the shimmering waters of Richardson Bay. Not only did my son not panic and flip the kayak over, but we were able to paddle near sunbathing harbor seals and artfully posed sea birds near the Sausalito shore. We’ve gone several times.
            The cumulative knowledge of specialists who work wonders with special needs kids occasionally surpasses what we parents see as possible. Turns out that there are numerous support organizations that offer water activities like kayaking, canoeing, and even whitewater rafting for special needs individuals.
            Seeing my son bravely try new things inspires me. Strong and adventurous though I think I am, I’ve had to learn how to push past boundaries to try new things, too.
            We all have more capacity to learn and grow—at whatever age—than we consciously recognize.
            Do not underestimate loved ones. Do not underestimate yourself.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Richardson Bay Kayaking, introduce a popular spot in Sausalito for kayaking and paddle boarding.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos! Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. 
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this week:
Hike Notes 84: Richardson Bay Kayaking

Guardians
            We watch over others. Family, friends, a passerby in peril. Some may not be aware that we’re standing quietly at guard for them, but we are. And that’s as it should be.
            Others watch over us. Family, friends, a passerby who sees us in peril. We may not be aware that someone is standing quietly at guard for us, but they are. And that’s as it should be.
            Until the day I leave this earth, I will be tearfully thanking a particular guardian who watched over us. (There are of course many I offer ongoing thanks to.) The HikingAutism.com web site was born from our family’s ability to overcome years of being housebound due to our autistic son’s overwhelming neurological and sensory challenges (Home).
            Our “autism whisperer” David (In Memory and Thanks) helped our son and thus our family get back out in the world. Even better, we got out on hiking trails.
            Weeks before his death, David, my son and I had a mysterious interaction with a group of ravens. From that day forward, I associated ravens with his presence.
            Years after his death, I still think of David when I see a raven. I feel comforted, like someone is guarding over me and my family.
            This week’s Hike Notes take us to Muir Beach Overlook, which can be simply a one-stop viewing spot with glorious views, or can be the starting spot for various hikes. (Watch for picturesque ravens posing along the stairway path.)
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos! Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. 
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this week:
Hike Notes 83: Muir Beach Overlook