It’s been a long summer with insufficient organized activities for the autistic young adult. His voracious brain likes to be on the Internet all day. I only have the vaguest notion of what he does online. I know that he likes to assemble random facts about video game history on wiki pages. He tells me that creates mods on Gary’s Mod on Steam; I have no idea what any of that means. He has daily rewards on various games that must be achieved. He posts music on a YouTube channel. Honestly, I really don’t much more than that. I know it’s harmless, because occasionally I look at his browser history — it’s tame, but too geeky for my brain.

He can keep himself busy all day, but it’s not terribly healthy to be on the computer all day. So, Steve and I have to nudge him outside his comfort zone now and then. Last weekend, we went camping in an area with limited cellphone access. He was fine as long as he had a job to do — set up the tents, pump up the air mattress, make the coffee, make the bacon, build a fire, make s’mores. But he couldn’t handle the time when Steve and I just wanted to read our books and drink beer around the campfire. And the two hour canoe ride was very stressful for him.

The trip was 90 percent successful, but Steve and I are looking forward to one more camping trip later in September. That weekend, the autistic boy will stay at home with his big brother, so Steve and I can get our campfire and book time.