Three years ago Josiah had no interest in his ipad.  We thought it would change his world, give him a voice, allow him to communicate with us. Instead, he tossed it aside.

He has never been the kind of kid to sit for hours on end engrossed in passive entertainment. He ignores T.V., preferring to turn it off rather than attend to it.  He rarely pays attention to the large screen at movie theaters (until the credits roll) and only stays in his seat if he has popcorn.

One of Josiah’s initial objectives was to endure the ipad for 5 seconds.  It required persistence and consistency to attempt such a lofty goal.  Five seconds felt like an eternity.

We rarely left him alone with his ipad for fear he would break it.

Fast forward to today.  Josiah is much more interested in his ipad.  He has far surpassed the 5 second limit and will focus for 5-7 minutes or longer at a time.  Every so often he will watch longer than that, but only if snuggled up next to someone who will watch it with him.

He doesn’t play games or interact much with cause and effect apps though we keep trying. He does however love Disney Read-Along books; specifically Toy Story.  We’ve discovered when words scroll across the page focus greatly improves, hence the fascination with movie credits.

It’s no wonder Josiah adores Disney Sing-Along songs.  Music and words together captivate him like nothing else.  Is he reading those words?  Is he studying the individual letters?  Who knows?

His favorite by far is Dig a Little Deeper from the Princess and the Frog movie, affectionally known around here as  Mama Odie.

Josiah has a therapist working with him twice a week, teaching him to use his ipad for communication.  He uses an app to make choices.

Would you like more meatballs?  Do you want to go for a ride in the van? Would you like to listen to Mama Odie?

Josiah enjoys ‘Mama Odie’ so much, I use it to keep him engaged while racing around to get things done. It buys me 2 minutes and 59 seconds of freedom. As the song nears to an end, I ask if he wants to listen to it again, wait for his YES, help him rewind, press play then zoom back to finish my task.

I call it living life in Mama Odie minutes. Cleaning the kitchen tonight took 6 Mama Odies.  Making dinner was closer to 10.

I’m grateful we found something Josiah loves that keeps him entertained.  It’s a catchy tune.  I hear it in my sleep. ‘Don’t matter what you look like.  Don’t matter what you wear.  How many rings you got on your finger. We don’t care. No, we don’t care.’ over and over before I drift back to sleep. This has been going on for weeks, with no end in sight.

I have a cake order due this weekend.  I’m going to need at least 40-50 Mama Odies.