Dealing with children is always a challenge. Autism is definitely a huge complication, but it isn't the only one.
Our youngest daughter is brilliant, and I can say that objectively, not just as a thrilled parent. But when she was two to three years old, she had a tendency to wander off in public places, because what she wanted to see and do was more important than what Mommy and Daddy wanted to see and do, of course.
So one day my wife bought a soft leash for her, one which strapped to her wrist with a Velcro loop. Our daughter thought this was a marvelous thing - until she realized that it restrained her. She came to this epiphany the next time she and her mother were at the mall. Our sweet little child ran to the end of her tether and began screaming "Ow! You're hurting me! You're hurting me! Wah! Ow!" at the top of her lungs.
And she didn't stop when she ran out of air. Naturally, the shopping trip was short-lived, and we had to find alternate means to keep our darling daughter out of the fountain at the mall.
I would bet real money that Todd knew what he was doing and knew that his mother was agitated and frustrated by his conduct, but that he really didn't know why. After all, she could easily see that he was just fine, he was in no danger, and she could come get him any time she wanted to. No big deal, no real reason for Mommy to be upset. The social subtext of Mommy not wanting to be naked in front of a bunch of strangers - especially strange men! - was completely lost on him. To his mind, he wasn't doing anything wrong. It was boring in that dressing room anyway.
I'm glad it worked out the way it did. Now Lois knows she has some support when she needs it. And she has some reinforcement that she's not alone. This was a sweet vignette and I'm glad you shared it with us. Thank you.
