ten minutes

I called him last night, just like I do every Wednesday night for our ten-minute conversation.  He spoke in jumbled, random thoughts.  He was clearly distressed.  I tried to coax the story out of him and find the source of his agitation.  It was one expletive after another.  "He was making faces at me, trying to get me mad,' he cried.  I asked him if he had a rage.  "Yes," he answered.  "I hate this place!"  I tried to soothe him, like I always do, but there was clearly no soothing last night.  I asked him, "So what is the thing that has you the most upset?"  He wouldn't leave him alone.  He stared at him and made faces at him, challenging and taunting him to extend the rage.   He has been trained to recognize the signs of this escalation and take a self directed time out.  He has to be somewhere where there are no stimuli.  No one can speak.  There can be no light.  There can be no noise, movement, and it is best to be covered up.  He can calm down then.  But the man taunted him.  He wanted the power to see that he could make this kid flip even more through the little glass window.  He is supposed to be a professional and help treat my son.  Why?

I called the counselor, and told him how agitated he was.  He thanked me for calling him, and went to go see if he could calm him down.  He told me again that he was sure that it was Asperger's Syndrome.  After sixteen years of this, finally someone has an answer.  I hope they can help him.  I love him and want him home.