Strange Play

It never ceases to amaze me the ways Denver, my son, will play. Children on the spectrum have unique ways of approaching play. The other night in his bath he reminded me of this. I heard splashing and naturally thought my bathroom headed for swimming pool status. I walked in and found the floor dry.
"Denver, what are you doing?"
Without hesitation he struck himself on the side of his face with his sopping wet washcloth. He didn't hold back either, you could have heard the slap outside.
"I'm playing water balloon!"
I could certainly see where the water laden cloth could simulate the effect of a water balloon to the face. Since he didn't flood the bathroom and had cleaned himself, I left him to it. Once he started water ballooning the walls, I had to step in and end the party.
I found it very creative that he simulated the sensation he wanted to feel. After all, he had no access to the real thing. That's not nearly as strange as the want for playing with toilet paper. Even at 7 years old he's fascinated with it. Recently he shredded some with a hairbrush. Confetti across the bathroom floor. I know it's the lightness and texture and how it can instantly absorb water that amazes him. He has to see it again and again until the stool is too full to flush. Don't even ask how I solve that one. You don't want to know.

Other tissue paper constantly meets the same fate so kleenex are a guarded resource in our home. I am known to time him in the bathroom now as well.

Kids on the spectrum are also known for running in circles, pacing, digging, licking things and all of those are simply based on how they feel and what they see in it. They see something we don't and it's important to remember that.

Denver's best of odd play is cardboard. He's incredible with it. Yes, all kids love to play with boxes, but Denver is articulate about it. He builds archways and floorplans. He makes full scale dungeons and is to scale without even knowing what that means.

So, even with the tissue play, is it possible that he will still see the intricacies of these materials as he grows? What will they mean to him when he's older? Who knows, but the possibilities are endless.