Joint Attention

Yesterday morning my good friend, Guat Momma, sent me a link to a CNN story titled "Toddler Brain Difference Linked to Autism". The article discusses a study that found a certain portion of the brain is larger in children with autism. This portion of the brain, the amygdala, is responsible for helping us process faces and emotions, also known as joint attention.
From early on we knew that Bubba had problems with joint attention. Most babies smile back when you smile at them. Most toddlers can follow an adults gaze to find the bird the adult is pointing at, and most children learn early on when mommy or daddy is happy or mad. Bubba, however, never did and still doesn't do those things. I remember standing at our den windows pointing out the birds in our yard and Bubba could never find them. I remember Evander appearing so excited that a fire truck had passed, and Bubba had no response. I have even blogged about Bubba not understanding when I am angry or happy and thinking I was trying to hurt him when I was simply walking across the room. Those are just a few of the many examples I will give, but there are countless times when this has happened.
So... yesterday was no exception to this rule. After reading this article, we headed off to gymnastics. Bubba's class used to consist of two children, him and a little girl, but it has grown to a class of five. This growth has been difficult for Bubba to handle, in general, but we have a greater issue at hand. One new child is a little boy who was recently adopted from China. He understands NO English, so he is unable to follow the directions. I believe he was only placed in the class so the mom could watch her older child and not have to "deal" with him. Nonetheless, he roams aimlessly around while the other children are trying to stay on task. This week, he began touching Bubba.
He would follow him around and just touch him, on the arm or back. We all know that Bubba isn't one for touching, so Bubba is immediately upset. Last week he cried half-way through the class because this little boy kept touching him, but we had a talk, and I hoped that this week would be better. Unfortunately, when they were sitting in line waiting their turn, the little boy scratched Bubba on the back of the neck. At this point, Bubba lost it and immediately shut down. The teacher handled the situation and I told Bubba to stay clear of him, but it was no use. Bubba could no longer focus on class. Bubba, the boy who already thinks everyone is out to get him, went on the defensive. He would only focus on the little boy, watching his every move. He wanted to make sure that he wouldn't be touched again, and it broke my heart.
He was doing so well at gymnastics, and now it was ruined. I plan to speak with his teacher next week and possibly change class times because I know he will never focus again, as long as that little boy is in there. No matter how old Bubba gets, I believe we will always struggle with joint attention. Whether it is finding a friend among the foes or correctly reading a person's facial expressions. Whether his amygdala is larger or not, this issue is present and very real!