puzzling

Henry loves puzzles, and he is very good at them. He started out doing the 25-piece puzzles when he was around 4. He became so proficient at them that he would sit and do 10 25-piece puzzles in half an hour, and they'd be arrayed all over the floor. So we started trying to find more difficult ones. Even the 100-piece puzzles (like the one shown above) don't present too much of a challenge.
Then, last year around Christmastime, something miraculous happened. And I am not being sarcastic here- this was truly a blessing to us. I work in a university office, and we employ some part-time students. I was telling one of them about Henry and his interests, and she said, "oh, my sister and I had all these Disney movie poster puzzles when we were kids. My mom still has them- I'll bring them in for Henry." These puzzles are 500 pieces and are the size of a movie poster (3x5), but the pieces are oversized. We have Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book, 101 Dalmations, The Little Mermaid, Snow White and The Lion King (I bought that one on e-bay- that is the only place I've found them.)
I can't tell you how excited I have been about these puzzles!!!! They provide an activity that we can do WITH Henry- they are difficult enough that he wants help with them and we can talk, listen to music, etc. while we work together on them. (And, they feature one of his other passions, Disney characters.) They have provided an opportunity to encourage him to work together with someone- usually an adult, but he also allows the occasional cousin or (when he's in a REALLY good mood) his little brother to work with him.
When I first noticed the autism awareness logo that has a puzzle motif, I kind of got a kick out of it- because Henry loves puzzles, and his behavior can be puzzling to us also.
But I never questioned, until just recently- why does he like puzzles so much? It must be because they are an exercise in creating order out of disorder. They always have a predictable outcome. They allow him to feel in control. And, the activity gives him some positive reinforcement- he always receives a lot of praise for his puzzle skills.
The action I've captured in this picture is Henry's really excited "flapping" (I'm not really sure what to call it.) He kind of hums and hops and flaps his hands when he's excited or happy, and when he's sitting down, he does the same things with his legs!! Sit down and try it- it's pretty hard to do! I should try to do it whenever he does- it would be a good workout!
I'm looking forward to reading about everyone's Halloween...