Summer BREAK???

As the summer days have grown unbearably long, life in our home has been operating in what we like to call "survival mode." The weeks that Gabe is out of school can be absolutely grueling! Without the consistency and structure of school, Gabe's symptoms will increase in intensity and frequency. During these difficult times, sleep becomes a precious commodity to be valued. Gabe already struggles with extreme hyperactivity even on his best days and I have lovingly nicknamed him the "Tasmanian Devil on speed" during these seemingly endless summer days. Gabe has a talent for being able to be in several places at once - or at least it feels that way at times. During a typical summer day, I may decide to begin a load of laundry when Gabe is playing contently with his cars. On my way back by the place Gabe was playing just minutes earlier, I immediately notice he is gone! I am instantly visited by that familiar feeling of dread. Oh no! Did I remember to lock the refrigerator? The answer becomes glaringly obvious upon entering the kitchen. The refrigerator door is wide open and an opened carton of eggs is sitting on the counter. Thick streams of goo are spilling over the carton, down the cabinets and landing in a large pool on the kitchen floor. Egg shell remnants are scattered all over the floor and most of the eggs in the carton are cracked, as well. Where is the creator of this messy masterpiece? I call out Gabe's name, although I know he will not respond. Then I hear the sound of running water coming from the back bathroom. Sure enough, there is Gabe splashing and laughing as the sink quickly fills with water. Water has already begun to run down the cabinets and out onto the counter. His clothes are soaked, but he is as happy as can be. I try to look at this as an appropriate transition into getting him into the bath to wash off the raw egg that remains on him. While he plays in the tub, I sop up the water around the sink and make a dash to the kitchen to clean up the egg catastrophe. As I clean, I make quick darts to the bathroom to check on Gabe. In one of my "check-ins" I see more puddles of water, this time coming from the bathtub. Gabe is pouring out water all over the floor and onto clean towels. I dress Gabe and he runs off squealing into the front part of the house. Once again, I sop up the pools of water in the bathroom and then walk into the kitchen area where Gabe is lining up items from the fridge on the table. He obsessively has to have his favorite drinks and other random food items out and lined up on the table. When he is in this mode, it's very difficult to stop him. Removing just one item can send him into a complete meltdown. Another obsession that creates for some messy situations is his need to dump out water bottles and basically anything filled with a liquid. Our floors stay covered in towels as I soak up one spill after another. Our day will continue in this fashion with me always three steps behind him. There have been incidents involving applesauce and matchbox cars, pla-doh, floor cleaner, baby powder, the dog's water bowl, etc... How is he able to be in so many places at once? How does anyone move that fast? I know that I am not the only one counting down the days until Gabe returns to school. He longs for that structure and ability to predict what will come next. Although, I feel like I am the one working myself into complete exhaustion trying to keep up with him, he is working just as hard attempting to cope with his unstructured day. A lot of what he does is an attempt to adapt and also a means of coping with sensory issues. He's not doing these things to misbehave and I have to remind myself of that - often!!!