Autism & An Interview

   Today I wanted to give you a look just at Caleb as a person, with his autism tied up into it of course, but just as himself. Just me asking him some questions, and him answering me.
   Some of the questions I did have to repeat, and I had to give him "the look" to make him focus and answer sometimes, but I think you'll enjoy this look at Caleb, by way of an interview. 

Caleb reading about birds

An Interview with Caleb 
   
I taped it, and wrote out what he said. I wanted to post the video, but he tends to mumble, and he was also eating a big bowl of popcorn while I interviewed him, so, it wasn't ideal (aka-anyone who isn't used to him wouldn't be sure what he was saying!). He honestly says some hilarious and abstract things. My questions are in pink, and his answers are in quotation marks. 

What is your favourite food?
   "Um.....um......Caleb likes apples, and oranges and pineapples"

Why do you like fruit?
   "Is fruit"


No, I said why do you like fruit? Because it's crunchy, or sweet...
"Is sports candy"

Are you just saying fruit as your answer because you can see them right now?
   "um......um.....I don't know" 

Do you like any other food?
   "Um....um.....um.....Caleb likes tater tots. Tater tots from Luke and Kelly's. Tater tots taste like factory".

What do you like to use for dipping sauce for tater tots?
   "Um.....hmmmmm......Caleb likes mustard. Mustard tastes like sunshine"

What are your favourite french fries?
   "Fast Eddies pickle fries are so salty in my happy belly!!!"

What is your favourite movie?
   "Toy Story 2. Toy Story 2 and Buzz Lightyear new utility belt"

What is your favourite t.v. show?
   "Blue's Clues"

Why?
   "Um....Blues Clues...."

What is your favourite colour?
   "Red is like music"

What is your favourite subject at school?
   "um....St Carthagh's..."

No, not what school do you go to, what is the best part of school? Math, reading, French, gym-?
   (interrupts me)- "French!"

Why French?
   "Msr. Francoer is so very silly and free time video games!"

Do you like speaking French?
   "No"

Oh, do you like French at all besides free time?
   "Um......um......um......Yes"

Why?
   "Caleb loves to sing with French"

What is your favourite animal?
   "Black swans. Black swans are like a duck. Black swans are at Peterborough zoo with cousin Tarah" (side note: cousin Tarah lives in Peterborough, and Caleb remembers that from when we last saw her there at least 4 summers ago).  

Caleb with his art at the Tweed Heritage Museum

   Then the phone rang, and we were done. I actually let Caleb answer. He currently has almost no phone skills, so, he mumbled, rambled on for a bit about Buzz Lightyear, and eventually handed me the phone, and I was pleased to hear it was a telemarketer. A persistent one too, he didn't hang up during the conversation with Caleb! He did say my last name wrong though. :)
   Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this interview with Caleb. I love some of his answers (like "Red is like music"-so cool). He is honestly such a funny guy. He loves to laugh and be silly, he loves to sing and dance (well, stomp), and he loves animals, well, except small dogs. But that's legit, those little yappers are so darned noisy! He also likes to find creepy crawlers, except dragonflies and butterflies, which Caleb has always run away from screaming! Turns out his fears were well founded about the butterflies though. We just found out a few weeks ago that butterflies will eat rotting flesh! What?!? Disgusting! Good on ya Caleb, you knew they had a dark side!