Mali at the MYND Institute

Mali had a much more pleasant stay at the MYND Institute than did her blood-spurting brother. She got to play play play and play for almost two hours straight, with both my and the researcher's undivided attention. This is a big deal for a baby who spends most of her day in a car seat.

They declared her not only fine but more than fine. She even put together puzzles at a 24-month-old level, which she's never done for me. Good news.

The researchers are supposed to be "blind" as to whether or not their subjects have siblings with autism. But since the volunteer babysitters didn't have a very good bead on Leelo and kept bringing him to me for help, the researcher couldn't help but notice our boy's tendencies. This meant that every single item she tested Mali on eventually went thusly: "I just tested her on X. And she's fine, she's totally fine."

Yay.