A simple trip to the grocery shop - Jennie

[Guest guest]

Hi Jennie,Your question made me laugh. Years ago, my husband (AS) - who never does the grocery shopping - developed a spreadsheet to help me do the grocery shopping. To his credit, he did this because I was home with a newborn, and he felt helpless, and this was one thing he thought he could do to help.The list was organized in order of the way things appeared in our grocery store. There was "Meat, Bread, Aisle 1 [condiments and canned goods], Aisle 2,. . Produce, Bakery, etc. Each column had an "inventory" section. He'd check off how many we had and how many he thought we should have to arrive at a grocery list. I think many silicon valley types have made a mint developing similar software.

Many people would love this list. If you entered the store, you could walk through each aisle, checking as you go. The problem was that for me, it was useless (apart, of course, for the sentiment behind it). I have a million recipes in my head. I go to the grocery store, and I look to see what's new, what's fresh, and frankly, what strikes my fancy. Sometimes, I go in with a weekly menu planned, but that's usually when we have house guests or some other reason. I enjoy shopping for the food for my family. For my boring life, it's an event. Cooking is one of the rare creative outlets I have. So, I go and see what I like. I'm on a first-name basis with my butcher, etc. I'll often head to the meat department first and ask, "What's good?" Then, I'll plan around it. I will go in with a list of things we've run out of -- paper towels, etc.; otherwise, I decide what to get once

I'm there. If I decide on a recipe I cannot remember, I look up the recipe on my iPhone. No kidding. I've been stopped several times by neighbors in the grocery store who ask me to look up a recipe for them to make sure they haven't forgotten something! LOL! Unlike you and , who approach the task sequentially, I'm like an overflowing fountain, grabbing as I flow!DanekaSubject: Re: To: aspires-relationships Date: Friday, May 23, 2008, 5:53 PM



Wow, so are you saying NT people can remember things without following an order? Similar to the card analogy... (I think)..... if someone asks you what letter of the alphabet comes before 'h' can you just figure it out or do you have to start at 'A' and work your way to 'h'? Or is this totally different from what you are talking about? Shoot, I don't even know how to word this because it feels to me like the only way to remember something is to go in order. For me usually chronological order but occasionally I have an order all of my own. If I don't do things in that order I get confused and have to start over. Or whatever it is just doesn't get done right. For example I go through the grocery store a certain way, if someone messes up that order I have to go back to the beginning of my sequence and start over otherwise I can't remember what to do next. So if you don't do things in order how do you do it?

Jennie -really wants to know.

[aspires-relationsh ips]



Lorelie: I agree a great post by . Have U ever seen the movie Silent Fall? Great thriller with a great surprise ending? It is the story about a daughter and a younger bother whose parents were brutally murdered and they believe the autistic brother who was very young saw or did it himself. They bring in this professional who works with kids like him for advice and guidance. At one point he is giving the sister a history of how we have treated folks with autism throughout the years and tells her NO ONE knows what it is, but we know how it works and he laid out a suit of cards from Ace to King. I did this at an IEP meeting and it was awesome. He pointed to the Ace and said folks without autism who move up the chain have memories that are linked to the five senses. Sometimes it is a sight, smell, touch, sound, etc., that can our trigger memory. If the person with autism's chain get's broken while they are moving to the King, they have to start all over again from the Ace as that is how they process information. It has been years since I have seen this movie so may have the wording wrong. The school psychologist picked up the rest of the deck and sorted the cards and said not only does Cass process this way evident by all the testing we have done, he is jumping suits faster than we can keep up with him. It was a good visual demonstration of one who thinks and stores information in chains. Just me. Silent Fall @ http://www.imdb. com/title/ tt0111187/

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