Tiny Flirt is 4.

He’s spent the last six months saying, “I’ll be four in a minute!” and asking for a? Pooh Bear? birthday cake, so? by the time? the big day arrived he had completely forgotten that he would have presents as well. He just wanted to see the cake and bagsy Tigger all for himself (“because Tigger? has orange hair, too!“)

We chose his presents with care: lots of dinosaurs and? a couple of pirate ships? (a “Phantom” and a little plastic one? with model pirates to play on them.) It’s very difficult to choose presents for a four-year-old? who adores? pirates and dinosaurs…

But the fun part is that this has brought about a role-reversal that many parents of Autistic children may recognise: he is now teaching Little Nutter (his older brother by 30 months)? how to play? with it.

Little Nutter is fascinated that a toy might have play value even though it is not a train! He watches very carefully as Tiny Flirt does all the things that NeuroTypical boys do with action figures, and Autistic boys don’t. And he wants to join in.

Right now, El Draco is taunting the Duke of Medina Sedonia. Not, strictly speaking, an actual? piratical engagement, I know, but Tiny Flirt has been learning Spanish and Little Nutter is very good at shouting “Aaaaaaarrrgh!“