Last year around this time of year, I was thrilled to witness Ethan and his peers talking Super Mario Bros. at the lunch table at school (see post here). Living with Asperger’s Syndrome means that Ethan's social progress happens at a different rate from his peers, and some things simply must be taught. This February I’m thrilled again about some progress regarding Ethan and his classmates at school, but this year’s growth involves two totally different cartoon characters…and a little candy, too.

Phineas & Ferb, of the Disney series named after these two brilliant and quirky step-brothers have given me reason to cheer this Valentine’s Day! Phineas & Ferb is a show that Ethan and I regularly watch together. As a parent, I love that the main characters are boys Ethan’s age who are both imaginative and out-of-the-box thinkers, but they’re also polite and patient with their older sister, Candice, who constantly tries to “bust” them. Cool kids! So, when Ethan and I were hunting for Valentine’s cards for Ethan to give to his classmates this year – the final selection was a no-brainer.

As we prepared the cards for his classmates, we sorted them into the different piles the various messages and images of Phineas, Ferb, Perry the Platypus, Isabella, and Dr. Doofenshmirtz from the series. Without any guidance from me, Ethan took the initiative to thoughtfully consider which messages/characters/designs were most appropriate for each of his peers. While this may not be something that most parents cheer about – most parents aren’t raising a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Ethan actually put thought into what his friends (boys and girls) might “think” when they opened his Valentine’s! He considered which cards looked to be more “romantic” (for the girls he has told me he really likes) and which he thought would be more appropriate for the boys in his class. Talk about “Theory of Mind!” Ethan was actually thinking about what his peers would think of him via the Valentine’s cards he chose for them…it doesn’t get much better than this (in the second grade, anyway).

Another big WOW for us this year happened when Ethan won the plastic heart container filled with chocolate Hershey’s Kisses (by having the closest estimate of how many candies were in the heart…he was off by one). Ethan chose to open his heart (full of chocolaty goodness) and share a Kiss with every one of his classmates. To the runner-up, a little girl whose estimate was off by two, he gave two Kisses.

While each year brings along new social challenges, and at times heart-breaking misunderstandings and set-backs, it is gains like these that keep me smiling and later trudging along through exhausting therapies, treatments, supplement regimens and IEP meetings.

I am so proud of Ethan and I must say, now more than ever, I ♥ Phineas & Ferb and Hershey’s Kisses!

Happy Valentine’s Day, Everyone.

♥

Leigh Attaway Wilcox is a writer and editor for the projectLD family of companies. Leigh is Assistant Editor of the internationally acclaimed AutismSpot.com and her work can be found on many of the pLDNetworks sites. Leigh is the author of ALL BETTER: A Touch-and-Heal Book published by Piggy Toes Press in 2007. Leigh lives in North Texas with her husband and young son who loves reading, LEGOs, Mario Bros. and also happens to live with Asperger's Syndrome, an Autism Spectrum Disorder.