I have a nephew with autism. One of the main issues we have with him is that he doesn't or is unable to comprehend the value of money. The kid (whose name I won't reveal) lives in TV land, specifically the world of cartoons and game shows, but is able to interact very well with the outside world. He speaks clearly and can communicate with other people well, but he has a very hard time understanding how other people feel, especially how they're not interested in hearing about childrens' cartoons and game shows over and over again.
One of the biggest problems we have with him is that he looks "normal." He's a tall and handsome teenager who speaks "normally" and can interact with people well, at least until they spend about 15 minutes with him and realize that all he talks about are cartoons, very old shows, and game shows, and usually mixes elements from various shows into one rambling narrative.
Anyway, today, I took him to buy groceries at Kroger, a grocery store.
He has no idea how much normal everyday items cost.
While checking out at Kroger, I showed him a 30-oz. bottle of soda in the refrigerator by the checkout lane which cost $1.69. I then asked him how much the 2-liter bottle of soda we picked up earlier cost. He guessed $10 (off by an order of magnitude), and I corrected him that it was actually just $1.00 each (Kroger had a sale where buying 5 2-liter bottles cost $1 for each bottle, down from $5 for 3 bottles (~$1.66 each). The small bottle of soda was more expensive because it was already cold and located near the exit, so people who wanted a cold drink before leaving could get it right away.
2 Liters = 67.628 Fluid Ounces
If given a windfall, he would squander the money.
I asked him what he would do if he won $1,000,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He initially replied that he had no idea, but then said, after thinking about it, that he'd split the money between his friends and people in his previous school (he is currently in another school). I asked how many people he'd split it with, and he said 500. I explained to him that he'd have to pay around ~50% tax on the windfall of $1,000,000, leaving him around ~$500,000. Split 500 ways, that's $1,000 per person. He then said that that's too little, but I explained that $1,000 is still a lot of money.
He isn't interested in money.
I asked him again about why the small 30-oz. soda in Kroger was more expensive than the 2-liter bottle ($1.69 vs. $1.00). He replied that it was because one was $1 and the other was more expensive (repeating what I had just said without answering the question). I explained to him once again that it was because it was refrigerated and close to the checkout lane, which meant that thirsty people who wanted a cold drink now could get it before leaving, and that people who could wait could get much more soda just by buying the 2-liter bottle and waiting for it to chill in the refrigerator. He just nodded absentmindedly and ignored me while he Googled images of Vanna White (Wheel of Fortune) wearing her various dresses.
So, any ideas on how to teach him the value of money?
Submitted October 15, 2015 at 10:45AM by AronTimes http://ift.tt/1Pi5Bga autism
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