Apple Cheeks
Here I go... Taking my child to the grocery store can always be a feat, and weekends are always a lot. He’s six years old now, and is Autistic. The sensory overload is a big thing for him. As a matter of fact, I feel it’s just the beginning. The store was crowded, the music was loud, and I think those lights in the stores hum at a frequency that only he can sense, and is super annoying to him, anyone else with this issue?
We were right in the middle of the frozen section when I noticed him starting to get overwhelmed. He started screaming and covering his ears with his hands. My anxiety always spikes a little when that happens because you just want to avoid a full meltdown if you can, but I needed a few things, trying to make it quick but at the same time I think exposure and getting him used to this can be a good thing, maybe, eventually, well, who knows… 🤷🏻♀️
I pulled the cart over by the produce area where the rain and thunder over the vegetables was happening. He loved it. Thank goodness that was on, because it is the only thing that I was able to get to calm him down for a bit.We still needed to get fruit. Since he doesn't speak, I can't really give him a verbal task, but I knew giving his hands something to do would help keep him grounded. So I picked up a big green apple and handed it to him.He loves tactile stuff, and the cool, smooth texture of the fruit is really calming for him. He immediately took it and started rolling it back and forth between his palms. Then he pressed the cold skin of the apple right against his cheek, which always seems to soothe him when he's stressed. I handed him two more apples, and he just liked the repetitive motion of dropping them into the cart basket one by one. Soon he started organizing them.This lady behind us started huffing a bit because we were blocking the bin and taking a while. I just looked at her and said, "we’re almost done." She didn't really say anything, just nodded and waited.
By the time we got to the checkout, Will was doing his little happy hand-flapping because he was proud of finishing his mission I think. It definitely takes a lot of extra energy to do a basic grocery run like that, but we made it home in one piece and he did great, a little better than usual, but I’m curious what other people have felt and have delt with in these situations.
✏️ Written by: Elizabeth J.
