COMPARE: Rand Busfield and Grey's Anatomy

I know this is going to sound crazy. But this kind of comparison is so typical to the way my mind works; haven't you come to expect that from me? So, we'll move on. Those who know me well, expect the expected. Those who don't know me well: take note. I am crazy. Now you know.

Many of you ask me about Rand:
How he is doing?
How is his development coming along?
What am I feeding him and where can you get some?

And now, I have an amazing link for you to hold on to when you are thinking about Rand, and how you may want to interact with him.
(thank you, abc!)

Last night on Grey's Anatomy, Dr. Dixon was once again featured. She is the visiting cardiac surgeon who lives with Asperger's Syndrome. On last night's episode, she suffered from a fierce moment of sensory stimuli overload. And because of it, she handled an important interaction with a patient and her parents poorly before fleeing the room. Dr. Miranda Bailey finds Dr. Dixon shortly afterwards: she is in a quiet room trying to wrap the doctor's coat she is wearing even more tightly around herself. She explains that deep, firm compressions offer assistance in helping her deal with the sensory overload she is battling. And so, in what is meant to be a comedic moment in the show (highlighting Dr. Dixon's oddness), Dr. Bailey and Dr. Christina Yang hug Dr. Dixon until she is calm; until her heart rhythm and breathing have become normalized.

I can laugh.
But my laughter is tempered with reality.
Rand lives with Sensory Processing Disorder. Thankfully, his sensitivity to social and physical situations isn't as severe as Dr. Dixon's; but nevertheless, there are issues to keep an eye on when dealing with him. Overload to sensory stimuli is one of them. Most of the time, it is just too much of something: new environment, new people, new procedure, loud/unexpected/unusual nosies, too much touching in places he doesn't like (his head for example). Too much of any of these things without a proper release as he goes along, can cause a frenzied fit. And the best path back to normalcy is deep, firm compressions: a hug, a squeeze, a game of "smush you," even sometimes, a good pillow fight. After such "therapy" sessions, Rand seems to take a deep breath, as if to say,"Ah, thank you. That is so much better."

And yes, there is a hugging machine for people. And yes, it was developed from the "hugging" machine that keeps cattle calm and in place for slaughter. The designer's name is Temple Grandin. She is an amazing woman living with autism and rocking the world doing what she loves to do. I am reading her book, Thinking in Pictures: And Other Reports from My Life with Autism.