Even by ds1's standards this is ridiculous

[saintlydamemrsturnip]

I have just begun to realise how much ds1 remember via google maps.

He was wandering around a city on google street scene that he doesn't know very well (been there 5 times maybe?) and I realised he was near my aunts house (been there 3 times maybe once as a baby). We haven't seen my aunt for years for various reasons. I think he last went to her house in 2003, maybe 2004. He must have been 3, 4 at most.

Anyway I said to him 'can you find auntie X's house'? He went straight there and pointed to it.

He remembers where he lived when he was 2 (we left in the March- he turned 3 the following May) - and remembers all sorts of things from there. For example pointed at a building I can't even remember and said something- eventually worked out he was saying 'hospital'. Well it wasn't, but I enlarged the sign on the wall and it was an ambulance station!

But this one surprised me as he's really hardly been to my aunts and hardly ever met her. We haven't seen her in years.

Amazing!! you have your very own satnav

I

That's very impressive.

Noooo...now you'll get the Rainman comments

Seriously, that is impressive. Does he remember places on train lines too, if you go somewhere by train and then repeat it months later?

wow! that's amazing.

What a clever boy! You must be proud.

He remembers everywhere he's been since the age of 2 I think.

We visited some friends who were staying in a cottage in cornwall 4 years ago (so he was 7). 2 years ago we visited them again when they were staying in a different cottage in cornwall. We reached the first roundabout in Cornwall, drove straight across- the screaming started. 2 years previously we had turned right at that roundabout. He was fine once I told him it was a different cottage.

He has just discovered the symbol for train lines on maps (worked it out himself) - now he follows train lines randomly on google maps. We don't travel by train much (public transport a bit traumatic with him) but he would do.

Ds is just the same, he started way before dx at 3. He used to do the clicking noise meaning you needed to indicate and used to attack you if you went the wrong way.
We went to visit a relative when he was 6 that we hadn't visited for three years.Ds directed us the 10 miles from the motorway through housing estates faultlessly despite only having travelled the route once in the dark three years previously as we had driven there a different way because we were on holiday.

DS1 remembers routes, too, though probably not that well!

My parents moved about 15 miles about 3 of years ago. We probably visit them at theirs 2 or 3 times a year at most. Anyhow, the first time we visited them in their new house, when he was just turned 4, we drove straight past the turnoff for the village where they used to live and he went ape on us, in a total panic.

Bloody hell! This is all impressive stuff. Amazing.

DD1 anxiously asks if we are there yet, and says "are you sure it's this way??" - does that count?

wow!

All our clever sat nav kids :)

Until the invention of google maps street scene I just had no idea how much he remembered! Good old google :) He also uses it to show me which lamp posts are broken in our city (since taking the google photo iyswim).

I'd love 12 hours in his head to see how he experiences the world. I'm guessing I might need a stiff drink afterwards....

I remember you posting about how your ds had remembered somewhere whilst on a car journey and got upset SaintlyDameMrsTurnip. Think it was the Cornwall story you told us about.
And about how he came and showed you a photograph and pointed out something really small in the corner and then showed you it was outside in the distance.
He has an incredible ability for details from what you've described of him.
Ds1 has got a good grasp of local geography but doesn't often talk about it. Ds2 got upset on a nursery bus trip in the summer term when the usual route home deviated, so we know he has some grasp as well.

Yes the photo trick. Book of local photos - he started pointing out his bedroom window in the correct direction so pointing to photo then out window. I then realised if you used binocular you could see a teeny tiny bit of the photo - for example the very top of a building, or a bend in a road. He's matched this to photos in a book or several hundred photos.

Yes getting upset a different routes is a 'good' sign! :o

That is quite an impressive memory he's got there

Dd1 has started categorisising journeys and places by route. So I say we're going to the shops, and she immediately says "turn right or turn left?" (or, if she wants to express a preference will state which way she thinks we should go!)

Once I've answered, she moves onto the next junction at which we could possibly go to 2 or more different shops (not necessarily the next junction in the journey - took me a while to work that one out. Couldn't fathom the inexplicable screams when I answered what I thought was correctly!) and soon, through the journey.

Really tests me gal stamina that one, as o tend to drive on autopilot and am hopeless at giving directions! Add in dd2 trying to categorize the shops by which colour logo they have, or which shape/position of wi does, and I'm well on the way to dazzled before we even set foot out of the door

Tests mental stamina - sorry, on phone.

oh ds1 can be like that. He often directs. I say 'do you want to go this way' (tap roof) or this way (tap window) and he lets me know :o

He has certain things he wants to look at on the way (certain lamposts, doors and windows I suspect) and gets cross if the view is blocked by eg a lorry.

Wow if ds follows train lines near mine he will come right past my house ,ideal house for train fans

Ds memorised entire cast of Bob the Builder but did not say them til the next year. It was weird because at that age (2) it had not really looked as if he was watching the show though he seemed to like the music. There is a lot more going on with the inner processing than we can guess.

Other than an uncanny ability to memorise & then use the odd swear word in the most embarresing of situations i've yet to discover ds2's talent.... but i guess you should never underestimate, its hard to know even with a verbal asd child just whats going on in there sometimes.

What an amazing boy

Lol at the broken lampposts! My ds (3.4) is obsessed with them too.

Remembering can be a right pain as well, specially if you are trying to lie - I mean divert attention away. I remember saying to DS1 that there was nowhere near to eat and we'd have to get home and have some lunch (I'd had enough). Unfortunately he remembered with road instructions how to get to a pizza restaurant within 5 minutes and that this was infinitely closer than going home. £££££ later he was feeling full and smug!