An Intro…

Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán

My son has always been the kindest and most empathetic goofball you’ll ever encounter, and at the same time, so articulate and expressive with his words, his play, his emotions and his ideas when pressed for them. Growing up, he loved talking to adults who obliged him, and engaged with whichever stranger would give him the time and space - undeterred by their age or their station in life.

It was at the young age of 5 (maybe as early as 4), I would often ask him what he was thinking about when immersed in (what I later learned) his IIM (Intense Imagery Movements). With his words (age-appropriately speaking of course), he would paint me these very full, amazingly complete and vividly detailed scenarios of what was playing in his mind. These talks helped me understand that it was an intensely beautiful world that was fully immersive - if he chose. More importantly, these conversations showed me that he wasn’t trying to escape into this world, but perhaps was rather too young to learn to control and utilize this gift - this immersive perspective.

The combined ability to visualize through his IIM and the ease he has to express and encapsulate his thoughts, really helped me see his world and what it is like for him living with his neurodivergent conditions and appreciate them. It helped me appreciate him - all of him.

Through this blog series we will share his childhood experience with IIM and more IIM stories, but for now, this is just a quick hello.

Please see CMS to learn more about Complex Motor Sterotypies that accompany Intense Imagery movements (IIM) and click on A Child’s Perspective for my son’s stories and description of life with Dyspraxia