Krassi's collections

 I've written here and there about how Krassi just goes contentedly about his business every day, but over the last few weeks have been collecting some photographic evidence of what most of that business actually is. I'm hoping to expand the collection as time goes on, too.

Anyone who knows Krassi knows that he loves "rings" - bracelets, things that he can put his hand/arm through. As he's gotten older and bigger, things that he used to be able to put his hand through don't work anymore, and he's adapted in an interesting way. He also really has a thing for triangles. I can't explain that one for you! (Honestly, I think the arm/hand through a ring thing has a simple explanation, which is related to familiarity/self-stimming behaviors arising from years of putting his hand and arm through the bars of his crib. So it's fascinating to see him developing beyond that - not abandoning it necessarily, but broadening the experience.)

Behold - Krassimir's daily activity of choice for at least the last year, and possibly even longer if my memory is correct:

I chose this example as the first because it's such a classic example. Notice the critical elements: a toy with a hole in it - a ring/bracelet of sorts (bonus that it's a foam block, one of his favorite things for all of his years at home) - with a wooden triangle block inside of the ring.

Here's another:

This time it's a blue "wedgit" (just what it's called), with a green triangular foam block through it.

Followed by a used-up roll of tape with a wooden triangle inside:

And then the blue wedgit again, but this time with a squishy lamb inside. The squishy animals were a classroom present when he graduated from 8th grade. They were so loved by him that his teacher let him keep them at the end of the year! (You'll see them again - they make great triangle substitutes...)

Here we have a roll of duct tape with a wooden triangle inside. (You can see a red wedgit in the background, waiting.)

And this doozy, which is the green duct tape with the squishy lamb on top of a glitter bottle!

And this time, the red wedgit with three wooden triangle blocks.

See - there's three! (I just realized that in EVERY single picture he's wearing the same sweatshirt. Don't be fooled - the photos are from five different days - it's just the warmest shirt he's got, so apparently he wears it a lot!)

And then the squishy lamb in the yellow duct tape, with the squishy cow watching from the background.

There - this is another shot of the one I showed nearer the top, but you can see that he's wearing something else AND you get a view of squishy pig!

What I find so fascinating about all of these is the degree of categorizing and specificity that this young man has developed. He has distinct preferences, and yet the incredible ability to combine the pieces in seemingly limitless ways. For a person with a profound intellectual disability, there's actually an incredible degree of creativity and ingenuity that he displays as well as a skill that many people (with a whole range of intellectual abilities) lack - the ability to find satisfaction and contentment in his daily "work." There's a lot to be admired in that!