Blogging Through a Block, for Leelo

Something that may come as a surprise to those who slog through these pages on a regular basis or know that I previously made my living through the craft: I hate writing. I really do. It hurts! Ouch. Like pulling fingernails. I don't get how Jo and Badger can sit down and shoot out those beautiful, streamlined, crystalline, seemingly effortless paragraphs, because I will remain forever trapped in thickets of unnecessary articles and adverbs.

But being given free license to ramble on--now, that is something altogether different. That's why I don't consider my blogging Writing. If I did, I'd be paralyzed. I'd have to ask Ep to edit me before posting--but since she would get apoplectic about my abuses of grammar, verb tense, and punctuation (specifically parentheses), no entry would ever get published.

Having this blog outlet can be helpful when I find myself up against a deadline. For example, I am supposed submit an explanatory paragraph or two for an upcoming Leelo's Day photo exhibit. I was supposed to get these paragraphs to photographer JM several yesterdays ago, since he will be installing the show next week while I am frolicking on Lake Warshington.

And I tried to start the paragraphs several times, over several days. I really did. But I never got past staring at a blank page. Then it occurred to me that if I wrote them here, I might actually produce something.

So, here goes. I'll let JM chop them into suitable shape for the show. And I won't tell him that I blogged them first, because he dismisses blogging as equivalent to scrapbooking. The twit.

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Leelo is a three year old autistic boy. These photos are glimpses from a typical day in his life.

Leelo has marked deficiencies in his speaking, listening, and social skills. These are common characteristics in autistic children, and occur because they lack their peers' innate ability to learn through observation.

To help him better learn how to communicate--to be in our world as well as his--Leelo spends several hours a day working one-on-one with specially trained therapists.

Some people think this type of therapy is too intense for such young children. I wish these naysayers could come observe Leelo, and see the obvious delight he gets out of being taught how to learn, out of his guided playgroups, and out of life in general.