Comedian (Mirror IX)

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Length: 1:59

Practicing a few comedy fundamentals in the mirror before heading off to bed.

One of the reasons the boy's extended family and friends initially had trouble understanding his autism assessment was his impish sense of humor. It's not something that's seen in the forms of autism typically shown on talk shows and news programs (what I like to call "TV autism"), but the spectrum is both broad and mysterious. Christa's doing a fantastic job chronicling the particulars of the boy's special spot on the spectrum in her new blog.

He has always loved making us laugh, especially during the evening bathroom ritual. (See here and here for relevant examples.) Of course, he still needs to work on that whole making himself laugh while he's doing it. Not everyone can get away with what they got away with on the Carol Burnett show.

The Gingerbread Man II (Mirror VIII)

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Length: 2:03

For a few of you, this may seem excessive. (In the comments for the last video like this I posted, my brother made a wisecrack about New German Cinema.) Believe me, I watched this multiple times, looking for ways to cut it down.

In the end I decided to go with the cumulative effect of the boy checking to see if the book that the boy in the mirror is holding is, in fact, the same one that he is holding himself. One page at a time.

Mirror VII

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Length: 0:36

Photo Booth in Leopard now records video. Here the boy plays with the "Mirror" effect.

Mirror VI

In which the boy encounters a dance studio mirror.

Length: 1:29

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Mirror V

If there are any child development specialists viewing this, please stop me before I turn my boy into Norma Desmond.

Length: 0:46

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Mirror IV (Sunglasses III)

The mirror is no longer the place for funny faces.
Now it's all about the attitude.

Length: 1:57

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This is the fifth of seven videos I'll be posting this week as part of Videoblogging Week 2006.

tag: videobloggingweek2006

Mirror III

In which the boy breaks one of the cardinal rules of videoblogging, as articulated by Josh Leo in a rant from last April.

The child development books we have don't have much to say about a toddler's interaction with a flip-out LCD viewfinder.

Length: 2:19

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Categories: the boy

Mirror II

In which a mirror and an LCD viewfinder spin the boy into a Lacanian recursion loop.

Length: 1:57

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Categories: the boy

Mirror

Part of being a first-time parent, or at least a first-time parent with a history of compulsive intellectualizing, is simply sitting back and observing your child's behavior as if s/he were a case study in human brain development.

Jacques Lacan or his adherents might have something to say about this interaction The Boy had with his own image back in March, when he was fourteen months old and not yet walking on his own.

That said, it's also pretty funny.

This one's longer than my three-minute limit, so: oops.

Length: 3:40

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