This might give a lot of you a shudder, or a wince, because no one likes to hear their children scream. But if you are a parent of severely autistic children, who don't have language, you adjust to the screams. I don't know that you ever get USED to them. But...Charlie screaming isn't the same as the baby screaming. The baby screaming would send me running in terror. Charlie screaming, well, that just makes me wonder what he needs.
I called out "Charlie, Mommy is here. You're ok." Sometimes that's enough. Sometimes he just needs to hear me, or his dad, and he goes back to sleep.
About twenty minutes later he let out another blood curdling shriek.
So I got up and went in, to see if Miles had stolen a blanket, or his pillow, or was laying on him or some other brotherly offense. I walked in and sat on the bottom bunk and said "Charlie are you ok?"
And then a miracle happened.
He spoke. "I want water."
Don't get me wrong, Charlie "can" speak. However, as is the nature of autism, speech isn't all that important to him. But this time, at 3:20 am, when we were both bleary and worn out, he said clear as day "I want water."
"You want a drink?" I started hunting for the sippy cup that they take to bed, and that Miles hoards (Geek points to me I nearly spelled that horde) and found it under Miles pillow.
"I want drink." he said as he took it and took big sips.
"Are you ok now?" I asked him.
"I want tickle."
Imma take that as a yes.
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