Wolfy,
Thank you for sharing Sean's experience.  I also have an autistic son.
Casey has learned of death by watching it first hand.  When we have had
to put an animal to sleep, he has been there to watch and we have talked
through what is happening.  When he was very young, he accidentally
drowned our kitten when he tried to have Tux go swimming (wading pool
with 3 inches of water in it) with him.  That was a VERY traumatic
experience for me - bad mother moment and then some!  BUT...it was a
learning experience for Casey as he then realized that dead meant they
didn't wake up....
 
This past November we had to have 2 of our dogs put to sleep.  When he
gets sad, he will talk about how much he misses Shantel and Nellie.  He
has finally "gotten" what death is all about....
 
Autism is very challenging.  So much of what children learn is just...
absorbed...autistic children don't "absorb"...they must be taught.  So
many things we take for granted....
 
Life with an autistic person is always an adventure.  It has made me look
at life totally different, that's for sure!  I wish ferrets held the
allure for Casey that they have for Sean!  I wish they had brought about
a "break though" moment.  But they haven't.  I'm glad that Rocky and Sean
have had each other.  I am sorry to hear of Rocky's diagnosis and that
this pair will be split up.  I hope that Sean can take all the wonderful
things he's learned from Rocky and continue to deepen his knowledge of
life!
 
Gos bless,
Kris Hurford
[Posted in FML issue 4871]