When I recently wrote about my sons going to visit their father in Los Angeles for several weeks, I mentioned that one of the good things about that is that they can do things in LA that they wouldn’t be able to do in southern Oregon. Tomorrow Nigel will start attending a summer day camp program that is specifically designed for high-functioning autistic (and Asperger) kids. Nigel is so excited about “meeting kids like me!” He had to do a phone interview last month with the program’s coordinator to make sure that his level of functioning would be compatible with the group, and it sounded like he did fine.

I am so grateful to my brother and sister-in-law, Alexis and Niika, who live in southern California, for researching this program and offering this time to Nigel as a gift. I appreciate their generosity and this opportunity that they have provided for Nigel. He has long been looking forward to becoming friends with kids who will “understand my differences,” as he puts it.  He is probably also hoping to meet a friend who will share his enthusiasm for planning an Oregon Trail trip or will help him to Rube-Goldberg the house! I just hope he has fun and enjoys doing what he loves so much: hanging out with his peers, feeling like he belongs.