Pokémon GO! Love it or hate it, it certainly has Aspies on
the move and talking to one another and that can only be a good thing, right?
I ignored Beloved Aspie when he uttered the word Pokémon after
many years (during which he had matured through Dr Who and Star Trek and Marvel
and DC Superheroes). I dismissed it as a passing notion, maybe he’d seen an
article somewhere, and anyway, it’s for kids – he won’t go down that road
again.
Two weeks later we have time travelled back some seventeen
years when Pikachu made his (her?) first appearance in our lives – in the shape
of a small rubberised toy, a lunch box, a school rucksack, bedlinen…back then
it was something fun he could safely talk to other kids about in school.
When he hit his teenage years and Asperger’s pulled him
under, Pokémon became a conversation between me and him. I learned their
various tricks and powers whilst Gameboy became the only source of entertainment
and protection from the outside world. Pokémon even had a whole scene to
themselves in the first play I wrote and performed. (From Within)
At 27, Beloved Aspie is a charming, eloquent, socially engaged
young man, working on his independence skills while living at home. So it was
with a little surprise that I heard him announce one afternoon last week, “I’m
just popping out.” I asked if he was going to chat to our neighbour. “No, there’s
a Pokémon up the road. I have my keys and I will observe my road safety.” And
he was gone.
The other day I invited him to join me for a walk, it was a
half-hearted offer, he usually says no. His eyes lit up -“Yes.” Apparently these Pokémon are
everywhere! He got some fresh air and exercise – I got a laugh.
The weekend was the same with him joining the Hubs and I for
a day out. On the way home he announces in the car, “That was a great day.” Was
it the sunshine, the Oreo marshmallows, the pizza, the new belt he needed, our
fabulous company?
Of course not: it was the woman he chatted to while catching
Horsea where she was sitting and the young men he chatted to about their quests
in the shopping village, and the third Eevee he caught.
Frankly, it’s all good in my eyes – thank you Pokémon Go for
socialising our Aspies, and all the other socially shy or awkward teens who are
coming out to play, too.
