My Gallifreyan Zombie Killer

I want to introduce you to one of my sons.  He has Asperger's Syndrome.

Being on the spectrum, my son doesn't like change very much.  Routines are extremely important to him, which is really hard for me (and him) because I'm a chaos magnet.

We don't go too many places with him because I don't want to stress him out; however, I do look for opportunities to take him somewhere new, somewhere different, just so he can practise interacting with the community.  I do as much as I can to minimize his anxiety on a daily basis, but once in a while, I will push him outside his comfort zone.  I've tried really hard over the years to go into his world as much as I can.  I think there is a part of him that recognizes that, and that's why he'll allow me to pull him into my world just a little bit.

I've never kept the fact that he has Asperger's a secret.  I'll tell everyone and anyone who is within earshot.  It's funny the things people will say to you upon being told that your child is Aspie.  "So what is he really good at?"

Hmm, what?

"You know, can he play the piano really well?  Can he hear a song on the radio and just play it?"

Umm, no.  He has Asperger's Syndrome; he's not a Savant.

"Oh, so then what is he an expert in?  What is the one thing he is interested in?  My friend knows this family and their son is Aspie and he loves bugs.  My aunt's neighbour's friend's child loves trains and knows everything about them.  So what is it for your son?"

Well, he doesn't have *one* area of interest.

"Are you sure he has Asperger's Syndrome?"

Yes, quite sure.

I get asked about his area of expertise so often that I started thinking about just what it is he is interested in.  Sure, he loves to use the computer.

So what?  So do a lot of people.  He doesn't know how to build one and doesn't seem to have any interest in learning to do software coding.  He just likes using it.

Scientific methodology appeals to him.  So do numbers.  But I'm not sure that he actually loves those things; he likes them because he finds them comforting.  They are stable and consistent.  For him, one plus one will always equal two. 
It's so much easier than trying to figure out what a person's mood is when they say something to you and what the appropriate response should be; it doesn't always equal two and if he's guessed the wrong answer, the results can be disastrous.

So what is it that he does currently love?  He loves the television series Dr. Who, and he loves zombies.  That's kind of cool for me because I like those things too.  My son and I will lie in my bed together and watch episodes of Dr. Who or we'll watch zombie movies.  It's just him and me.  The rest of the family isn't interested, but that's okay.  The bedroom becomes a TARDIS; my son is The Doctor and I'm his beautiful travelling companion.  I enjoy the adventures he takes me on.

I won't list off all the books and graphic novels my son has about zombies.

But I guess he's read and observed enough to be considered somewhat of a zombie expert.  He will ask total strangers (and has), "Do you think a flame thrower would be a good weapon against a zombie?"

He'll pause for several minutes and then follow up with "It wouldn't be. The flames won't kill the zombie; it's already dead.  And it is still coming at you, but it's on fire.  Now you have two problems."

He'll then go on to list the pros and cons of all sorts of various weapons.

By the way, according to him, a machete would be the best weapon because it is light, doesn't need ammunition and can be used for other things ... not just for killing zombies.

In the city I live in, they do an annual event called a Zombie Walk.  It's where a bunch of people dress up as either zombies or zombie killers and parade through the streets for an afternoon.  It's not a protest.  There is no political message behind it.  It's just something fun to do.

I decided to take my son to the Zombie Walk this year.  Like I said before, I look for opportunities to get him out and engaged with the world. 

He was reluctant to go.  He kept asking me over and over "Do I *have* to go?"

My response was "Yes, you do."

So his dad, his brother and I dressed up as zombies; he dressed up as a zombie killer.

We gathered downtown with over 6,000 other people covered in fake gore.

There was an Umbrella Corporation army truck there as well as several Umbrella Corp. soldiers.  There were other types of zombie killers there, and they all smiled and nodded at my son and told him they were all on the same team.  He had a plastic machine gun and was "shooting" zombies for quite a while.  The majority of the zombies he shot, total strangers, would play along and fall down at his feet.  They'd get up and smile at him; he smiled back.  Lots of positive social interaction.  Weird and strange social interaction, yes, but still positive.

On the way home, he told me he was glad he went because he had a good time even though he thought he wouldn't, and he'd like to go back next year.

Yes!

So the next time someone asks me what my Aspie son is good at, I guess I'll just have to tell them:
Killing zombies ... and running!