"Cook Throw Egg at Us" - Another food-filled email from Aunt Leanne

Whoa!  Another email from Aunt Leanne.  Anybody want to guess what subject may be addressed in this email?  Ha!  Food, of course!  My mom and Leanne enjoyed a Valentines Day dinner at a Hibachi restaurant and it sounds like quite the feast; they even got pelted with eggs! 

dear eliazbeth
fred rice

nickanme

for you

happy valentines

chocates

from

mom
we went

to

eat

kikos

steak

mushrooms

rice

salad

soup mushroom

zuchinni

peppers

mushroom

water

drink

shrimp

cook

trhow

egg

at

us



i miss

my bus

becase

roioutines

mom

was

sad

mom

take

school

miss

bowing alloy

that

all

leanne

chesesbuger

nickame

 
Uh oh!  Looks like a consequence for missing the bus is having to miss Special Olympics bowling.  Leanne has already schooled us on actions and consequences.  As she stated, Leanne missed the bus because of her "routines".  Apparently she was still cutting the crossword puzzle out of the morning paper when the bus came and because this is a part of her rigid routine, she was not willing to stop in order to go catch the bus. 
 

Having a set of routines or "grooves" that one must follow, is very common in adults with Down Syndrome.  These routines provide a sense of order and structure; they also help individuals with Down Syndrome cope with a world that often moves more quickly than they can process.  Many of these routines are very beneficial but sometimes they can interfere with one's ability to transition on to the next task.  Hence, Leanne missed the bus.  If you'd like to read more about "grooves," I found an interesting article written by Dennis McGuire, PhD.  http://www.dsamn.org/Files/file/adult_issues/TheGroove.pdf.  I also enjoyed reading about Jimmy's grooves over at The Lucas Family Blog.